Girls are being groped and flashed on the streets during the lockdown period and are too afraid to venture out alone, a survey has shockingly revealed.
Around one in five girls said they have experienced harassment during the Covid-19 lockdown, according to a poll for the children’s charity Plan International.
More than a thousand girls and young women aged between 14 and 21 were surveyed online between April 9 and 20.
Around a fifth alleged they had been harassed, including being catcalled, followed, groped, flashed and upskirted.
Some reported unwanted attention such as insults or staring, and others said they had received unwanted sexual attention such as wolf whistling and staring.
Forty-seven respondents reported unwanted sexual or physical contact or sexual exposure, while seven girls had photographs taken underneath their skirts.
Overall, 28 per cent said they feel less safe outside during the lockdown period. Of these, 40 per cent said they feel unsafe walking alone in public, a third said they have stopped going outside during the lockdown and 30 per cent said they do not feel safe to go to the shops alone.
Rose Caldwell, Plan International UK chief executive, said: “We know that girls are subject to harassment in all areas of life, yet these shocking statistics show that even a national lockdown is not enough to prevent perpetrators carrying out this abuse."
Girls with concerns can find support by joining Plan International UK’s online community, Girls Shout Out, on Instagram or Facebook.
Gemma and Maya Tutton, sisters who launched a campaign to end public sexual harassment in April 2019, said “we all deserve to feel safe and be safe in public space”.
They said: “We welcome Plan UK’s research on the harassment of young girls in lockdown.
“The UK government must act against this form of gender-based violence and introduce a specific criminal offence tackling public sexual harassment.”
