Unsafe Spaces
Our findings reveal that 1.6 million women have experienced sexual harassment when accessing a public service.
21 Apr 2021
Over 1 in 10 (11%) of women who have experienced sexual harassment said it happened in a public service setting according to a poll commissioned by Agenda, the alliance for women and girls at risk.
Ninety-two per cent (92%) of the 2,000 adults surveyed agree that women should be able to access public services without being sexually harassed.
Women are being sexually harassed in places where they should feel safe – in their homes and in public services such as benefit offices, mental health units and hostels. As a result, some of the most marginalised women, who should be receiving support from public services to help them in times of need, are instead being potentially re-traumatised and left at greater risk of harm.
Amina*, a woman who experienced sexual harassment in a job centre, says:
“I’ve experienced sexual harassment more than once at the job centre. I was in an extremely vulnerable position trying to access financial help and what I received instead was inappropriate comments where a male staff member asked me if I was single and suggested that if I take my hijab off I would be more likely to get a boyfriend.”
Women who face multiple inequalities such as poverty, abuse, homelessness and poor mental health have told Agenda about the number of times they have been harassed by men in positions of trust or power. Examples include harassment from housing officers, hostel and job centre staff and wardens in mental health hospitals as well as council employee’s coming into their home for repairs. The survey found that 13% of women experienced sexual harassment from someone coming into their home who they do not live with.
Amanda, a woman who experienced sexual harassment in hostels, says:
“When I lived in a hostel, I stood there crying trying to push a man out of my door. I didn’t report it because I didn’t feel safe to but this type of harassment should be recognised by staff. I think because mental health and homelessness and drug and alcohol are so male dominated women get ignored. Often staff will dismiss your experience – that dismissive element puts you on the back foot. It’s a bit like gas lighting.”
Key findings:
- Over half of women have been sexually harassed in their lifetime
- 72% of young women (18-25) (compared to 41% of young men) reported that they had experienced sexual harassment at some time in their lives.
- Over 1 in 10 women who have experienced sexual harassment said it happened whilst accessing a public service such as the job centre, a hostel or a mental health hospital.
- 13% of women experienced sexual harassment from someone coming into their home who they do not live with.
- 92% of people surveyed agree that women should be able to access public services without being sexually harassed.
- 82% of people surveyed think that staff in public services should be trained to identify and prevent sexual harassment.
- 75% agree that there should be more funding for specialist services to support the most disadvantaged women and girls who experience sexual harassment.
- 87% of people agree that the government should work with specialist women and girl’s organisations to develop effective solutions to prevent the most disadvantaged women and girls from experiencing sexual harassment.
Many services accessed by the most disadvantaged women, such as hostels for temporary accommodation and drug or alcohol services, are dominated by men – and are often sites of sexual harassment.
Amy*, a woman who experienced sexual harassment in a range of public services, says:
“There’s a real issue of sexual harassment within services, I’ve seen it frequently in a mental health hospital but I’ve also experienced it at the job centre and in hostels. These are places that should be safe for women.”
“Hostels are always dominated by men and so women are made more vulnerable to abuse when staying there. When I was younger, I didn’t have the ability to question it or even recognise it. Now that I’m older and I’ve got support I feel like I can.”
Many of these services can expose women to perpetrators of abuse and can even facilitate or encourage relationships that are abusive.
Alison*, a woman who was exposed to a perpetrator of abuse in a residential care unit as a child, says:
When I was in care, I ended up going into a 16+ unit and I met a lad in there. We never should have gone out with each other. The aftercare team was encouraging us, saying we’ll get a rented house if we move in together. So we moved in together. It was the worst mistake of my life. He ended up battering me, beating me up, he used to lock me in the house, things like that.
Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner says:
“These statistics are truly shocking. Sexual harassment is totally unacceptable in any situation, and I am horrified that so many women have had these experiences when they have been accessing public services.
“Domestic abuse victims are often at their most vulnerable when they are reaching out to public services for help and should not have to face further trauma.
“Any form of violence or sexual harassment against women comes from the same issue which has its roots in misogyny. Public service staff need training to identify and prevent sexual harassment so they can challenge attitudes and behaviour that is unwanted and inappropriate.”
Jess Southgate, CEO of Agenda says:
“Women should be able to access public services, which exist to provide safety and support for those in need, without being sexually harassed. Yet too often, women tell us that these are spaces where they face abuse, harassment and where they are exposed to further risk. In the worst cases, services can even encourage women into exploitative relationships, or turn a blind eye to harassment taking place.”
“Many women who face multiple disadvantages have already faced a lifetime of violence, abuse and trauma. When they turn to services for help, they should not expect to face this kind of treatment.”
“The majority of the public agrees that to respond to this issue, public services staff should be trained to identify and prevent sexual harassment, so they are better able to tackle this unacceptable behaviour and ensure women’s needs are appropriately met.
“We must see more funding for specialist women’s services to support women and girls who have faced harassment. The government must work across departments and with public services to help prevent the most disadvantaged women and girls from experiencing sexual harassment.”
Baroness Armstrong, Chair of the Lords Public Services Select Committee
“These new figures by Agenda are alarming. Women accessing public services in times of need must feel safe when doing so. Instead, many are being sexually harassed – potentially discouraging them from accessing support in the future.
“It’s vital that the experiences of the most disadvantaged women and girls are not left out of the conversation around sexual harassment, and action is taken by the government to prevent sexual harassment, particularly in public services providing critical support to women and girls.”
Jillian Thursby, women and domestic abuse lead for leading homelessness charity St Mungo’s, says:
“This new research from Agenda clearly shows that women continue to experience unacceptable sexual harassment in multiple and various situations. We know women’s experiences of homelessness can be vastly different from men’s and at St Mungo’s we work hard to ensure that all our clients are safe and free from harassment.
“There is no excuse for sexual harassment or sexually inappropriate behaviour in any situation, and in 2019, we published an ambitious Women’s Strategy advocating for more women-only service provision. There is still much to be done and we must all work together to ensure that everyone – especially women – feel safe wherever they are.”
Joy Doal, CEO of Anawim says:
“At Anawim we hear many stories from the women we work with who do not feel safe within services. We know of women abused or harassed by housing officers and hostel staff. Women with complex needs are often in a vulnerable position and for professionals to cross those boundaries and be inappropriate towards them is completely unacceptable. We need professionals to be given comprehensive training in order to make services trauma responsive.”
Overall, 14.8 million women in the UK have experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime. In a nationally representative survey of 2000 UK adults, 561 women said they have experienced sexual harassment. 561 / 2000 * 52,673,000 (UK adult population) = 14,774,777 or 14.8 million.