Half of girls in UK cities are scared to go out at night alone, finds children's charity

20 September 2010 1 min read Gabriella Jozwiak Youth Work

Almost half of girls living in the UK's biggest cities feel unsafe in their neighbourhood after dark, according to research published by children's charity Plan UK.

The threat of gangs was the reason given by one in five of the respondents, aged 11 to 18, of which more than 40 per cent said they knew someone who had been assaulted.

The findings are part of an international report entitled Because I am a Girl, to be published next week. It examines the state of the world’s girls in cities across the developed and developing world.

More than 500 girls were surveyed in the UK from London, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Coventry, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

"It is unacceptable that in cities all over the world, including the UK, girls are often scared to go out," said Marie Staunton, chief executive of Plan UK.

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