86% of young women in the UK have experienced sexual harassment in public.
Behind the 86% is real people – and that’s what the new “Just Dont” campaign is all about.
Marking Violence Against Women and Girls Week of Action, Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire has launched a new campaign urging people to be “an ally, step up, call it out and help stop it”.
The following video has been released by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority today, aimed at young men aged 14-21, to show that inappropriate behaviour shouldn’t be tolerated and to show how comments can escalate into threatening behaviour.
The video is paired with a number of posters saying “I was just…” to show that ‘banter’ isn’t an excuse and comes with a ‘Content warning: This campaign contains references and depictions of situations that some people may find upsetting‘ message.
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said: “The fact that we, as women and girls, have to face constant harassment and abuse in our everyday lives is appalling, but sadly not surprising.
“This isn’t about blame — men and boys have a key role to play in helping us end this behaviour. This is about encouraging them as allies to see the problem and empowering them to help us by stepping up and calling it out.
“Things must change. Our message in this campaign is that it’s not banter, it’s not harmless, and it’s not OK — so just don’t. I’m urging everybody to join us in this fight to tackle inappropriate behaviour towards women and girls.”
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To find out more about the ‘Just Don’t’ campaign and how you can help to improve the safety of women and girls, visit the #JustDont website here.
Feature Image – Supplied, West Yorkshire Combined Authority
