In this episode of HJ Talks about Abuse, Alan Collins, Danielle Vincent and Feleena Grosvenor discuss Transport for London’s (TFL) recent campaign to tackle sexual harassment. TFL have placed posters within tubes with titles of “common” sexual harassment methods with a clear warning that it will not be tolerated.
- Cat Calling – Making unsolicited remarks of a sexual nature about someone
- Exposing – Revealing intimate body parts
- Pressing – Rubbing against someone on purpose
- Touching – Touching someone inappropriately
- Staring – Intrusive staring of a sexual nature
- Upskirting – Taking photos under someone’s clothing
The new campaign posters are part of a national campaign to address sexual harassment. The campaign is over not only tubes, but buses, bus stops and trains – over the TfL’s network and the national rail network. There will also be magazine and newspaper advertising, editorial partnerships and other communications.
The idea behind the campaign is to help educate passengers about how to report incidents, encouraging them to do to various services.
Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said:
“Sexual harassment, in all of its forms, is unacceptable and has no place on public transport networks and in wider society. The rail industry is united with TfL in our shared aim to ensure that we have no unsafe spaces and to show perpetrators that they are not welcome on our routes and services.”
The campaign appears to go further than previous similar campaigns by being so public and is directed on reporting and warning those who commit those crimes. For example, the safety initiative ‘Ask for Angela’. This code-phrase indicates to staff that the person requires help with their situation and a trained member of staff will then look to support and assist them. This might be through reuniting them with a friend, seeing them to a taxi, or by calling venue security and/or the police. Venues that support the campaign have been given Welfare And Vulnerability Engagement training.
