We are excited to announce the release of our new tool for reporting incidents in public spaces and transport. The tool is for research purposes only. It is designed to share your experiences anonymously. We will not ask about your identity or personal details. We will not share the details with the police or third parties.
Street and public harassment is problematic because it deviates from unspoken rules about the way strangers should interact, it poses a threat to freedom and mobility. Collecting data on incidents that made people feel unsafe is challenging as most of the time people do not report them or do not speak about them to anyone. People who experience harassment in public spaces often learn to cautiously navigate cities, avoid certain places or avoid outings at certain times. A YouGov Survey UK in January 2021 revealed that 97% of women aged 18-24 said that they had been sexually harassed, while 80% of women of all ages said they’d been sexually harassed in public spaces. Despite public harassment being prevalent, the topic is still under-researched. That is why we decided to collect data on unwanted encounters or behaviours that feel threatening. By mapping out incidents, we hope we will better understand patterns of harassment, draw trends, and use it in a structured way at a local level to create safer places.
Our new tool is available here: Incident Reporting Tool