Director’s Blog – Lisa Charlotte Davis
This image commissioned by students (from Durham University The Northern School of Art Bishop Auckland College) as part of our Let’s Talk About Sex Youth Social Action Group, responds to the UN Women UK finding that –
📢 71% of women of all ages in the UK have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space – this number rises to 86% among 18-24-year-olds
📢 Over 95% of all women did not report their experiences of sexual harassment
📢 44% of women agreed that having more confidence in the consequences of reporting would encourage them to report
📢 Of those who did not report because they thought doing so would be too dangerous or emotionally upsetting, 76% said they would be more likely to report if they had confidence that doing so would prevent the incident from happening again
📢 Of those women who reported being threatened, coerced or forced into participating in sexual behaviour, or being touched sexually without consent, 47% said they would be more likely to report if there was less stigma of being seen as a victim
Take a look at the report here.
What can we take from this?
There is a proliferation of behaviour in the public domain that is making women feel unsafe, diminished and they are afraid to Speak Up about it.
If this is in the public domain, it means it is something someone else might notice.
What if we normalised Speaking Up, calling it out, standing in solidarity with women, reducing their fear of what might follow, reducing their sense of not being taken seriously or validated as survivors of unwanted sexual behaviours?
It’s brilliant that Shine North East is encouraging employers to ensure employees and contractors are protected from sexual harassment on or off the premises.
But this is also a cultural phenomenon. It is on all of us to Speak Up.
Image credit : Bettie Hope Hanley
