Nearly seven in every 10 British women who have been sexually assaulted didn’t tell the police, according to a study that reveals the shocking underreporting of harassment.
Women’s rights charity ActionAid released the figures in the lead up to International Women’s Day on March 8, with a warning that the #MeToo movement isn’t being translated into legal action.
And actress Emma Thompson, an ambassador for ActionAid, shared a message with girls and women around the world in response.
“If there was a message, a sort of mind vaccine, I could give to all girls around the world it would be this. This is my body and it belongs to no-one else, it’s mine,” she told ActionAid.
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“I am my own property. I am myself,” she added. “I have jurisdiction over my body and no-one can take that away from me under any circumstances without my consent. Property of me. That’s my message.”
ActionAid spoke to over 2,500 women from the UK, Brazil, India, and South Africa, in an effort to understand how women around the world feel about reporting sexual harassment to police.
And the study revealed that over two-thirds of women — 68% — who have been sexually harassed globally haven’t officially reported it to the police.
The countdown to #IWD2018 is on! We’re encouraging everyone to stand together and say #MyBodyIsMine.Here’s why: https://t.co/fUr827WHlSpic.twitter.com/hLXPFqRjrh
— ActionAid UK (@ActionAidUK) March 1, 2018
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In the UK, 46% of women said they had been sexually harassed, but 69% of these didn’t report it to the police, according to the survey.
In Brazil, 64% of women had been harassed, and 86% didn’t go to the police. In South Africa, where 43% of women had been harassed, 73% didn’t report it. And in India, 41% of women had been harassed, and 49% didn’t report it.
Worryingly, half of those said it was because they believed reporting the harassment “would be pointless” — which rises to 62% in the UK, the highest percentage of all four countries surveyed.
“These survey results show that women around the world are experiencing sexual harassment on a shocking scale,” said Girish Menon, the chief executive of ActionAid.
“The fact that women believe it is pointless to report these experiences is a worrying reflection of the system of power and patriarchy we live in,” he added.
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The #MeToo movement has seen millions of women across the world sharing their experiences of sexual harassment, but the research suggests this isn’t being reflected in legal action against perpetrators.
Globally, some 29% of women said they didn’t go to the police because they felt ashamed or guilty. 28% said it was because they were worried about retaliation from the person who harassed them, and another 28% said they didn’t think the legal system would be understanding.
Over a quarter of women — 26% — said they just didn’t know how to report it, and understanding of their legal rights is a much bigger problem for women in the UK than in the other three countries.
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Nearly a third (31%) of British women said they didn’t understand their legal rights when it came to sexual harassment — virtually double the number of women in South Africa (16%) or India (19%), alongside 22% in Brazil. Among 18-24-year-olds in Britain, 46% said they didn’t understand their legal rights.
ActionAid released the results of the survey to coincide with the launch of its #MyBodyIsMine campaign, which aims to shine a spotlight on violence against women and girls, and seek justice for victims.
“To me, the phrase #MyBodyIsMine means it is my body, my choice, my rights and my decision.” Nahar, acid attack survivor. https://t.co/fUr827WHlSpic.twitter.com/8EIErHn8Np
— ActionAid UK (@ActionAidUK) March 1, 2018
Globally, women highlighted education on women’s rights as a key to making progress on tackling sexual harassment against women, with 69% saying that children being educated on the issue from a young age was important.
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Many (64%) also said that more should be done to make sure that women who report sexual harassment aren’t made to feel that it’s their fault; and 62% said women need to have a better understanding of what their legal rights are.
Global Citizen campaigns to achieve the UN’s Global Goals, which include action on gender equality. Every single country in the Commonwealth has at least one law that limits the rights of women, which is why we're calling on Commonwealth leaders to #LeveltheLaw. You can join us on this by taking action here.