Sexual harassment campaign aimed at male's behaviour launched by Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester

• The campaign launched by Greater Manchester Combined Authority

A powerful new campaign has been launched to tackle sexual harassment carried out by men and boys.

The 'Is This Ok?' campaign hopes to spark conversation across Greater Manchester about behaviours considered sexual harassment.

The video tells the story of a young woman being sexually harassed on social media, out jogging, coming out of a coffee shop and at night.

It demonstrates the impact the day-to-day behaviour has on those who receive it, asking 'Do you think this is ok?’

It forms part of the Greater Manchester 10-year Gender-Based Violence Strategy, which Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham will personally lead.

• Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice, Baroness Bev Hughes: "Some men feel they can do what they want and say what they want to women..."

Andy Burnham says it is for men to change their behaviours to enable women to feel safe.

He says: "I recognise my personal responsibility to lead a new conversation about the change we need to see and that is why I am bringing forward this campaign aimed at men and boys. 

"For too long, women and girls have had to put up with behaviours in public spaces that have made them feel uncomfortable, frightened or threatened.

"Rather than women being forced to change their behaviours to feel safe, it is men and boys who need to take responsibility for this issue, either by reflecting on and changing our own behaviours or challenging those of people we know.

The video will be taken into schools, colleges and other community groups and is the first in of a number of activities aimed at looking at gender-based violence and challenging men’s and boys’ behaviours.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), and the newly created Greater Manchester Gender-Based Violence Board, worked with women’s groups and men and boys as part of the development of the video.

If your behaviour is making women feel uncomfortable or unsafe, our message is simple: it’s not OK.”

Andy Burnham, added: "This year, we have heard heartfelt calls from women and girls, across all ages and backgrounds, for major change when it comes to ending everyday abuse, intimidation and violence.

"I am proud that we are now taking serious action in Greater Manchester in response to those calls with this ambitious 10-year strategy against all forms of gender-based violence."

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The campaign is based on experiences of women and girls across the UK, with a UN Women UK finding that:

• 71% of women of all ages have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space

• 86% of 18-24-year-olds have experienced sexual harassment

• More than 95% of all women did not report their experiences of sexual harassment

The Government’s Equalities Unit Sexual Harassment Survey 2020 based on 12,131 responses found that:

• 43% experienced at least one sexual harassment behaviour in the last 12 months.

The three most commonly experienced sexual harassment behaviours were:

• unwelcome sexual jokes

• staring or looks

• sexual comments

Harassment occurred:

• 42% on the street or walking around

• 31% in a club, pub or bar

• 28% on public transport

54% of people who had experienced sexual harassment in the last year reported that they felt it had very or fairly affected their quality of life.

ONS data from July 2021 found that:

• Two out of three women aged 16 to 34 years experienced one form of harassment in the previous 12 months

• 44% of women aged 16 to 34 years having experienced catcalls, whistles, unwanted sexual comments or jokes

• 29% having felt like they were being followed

The campaign comes as the Greater Manchester Gender-Based Violence Board met for the first time.

It will drive the implementation of the Gender Based-Violence Strategy over the next 10 years, and its membership includes victims and survivors, and organisations that represent them.

It is chaired by the Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice, Baroness Bev Hughes, and will eventually be co-chaired by someone with lived experience of gender-based violence.

Greater Manchester has committed to focusing on:

• Accountability to victims and survivors, children, and young people.

• Sustained engagement with the public, employers, and educational institutions.

• Recognition of the roles played by frontline health, social care and specialist, VCSE and ‘by and for’ service providers in reducing repeat victimisation

• Openness about the capacity of the criminal justice system to deliver justice to victims and the demands it places on them.

• An integrated housing policy that ensures most victims can stay in their own homes or are swiftly rehoused locally without compromising their tenancy rights.

• Safe and effective interventions with perpetrators that prioritise the protection of victims and survivors.

Baroness Bev Hughes, said: "I’ve long campaigned for and worked on improving the safety of women and girls against a backdrop of societal attitudes and behaviours that have allowed sexual harassment in public spaces to go on for far too long.

"The tide is now turning on what was once deemed tolerable behaviours such as catcalls or unwanted sexual comments or jokes. It was never OK in the past and it’s not OK now.

“While some might say we should be focusing our energies on serious and violent crime against women and girls, and we are, we must also recognise that gender-based violence is on a continuum.

"Turning a blind eye to everyday harassment gives some men and boys licence to go further and can lead to horrific consequences for the victim.

"The common thread running through all these types of behaviours is that too many men and boys feel entitled to say and do whatever they want to women and girls, and that is just not acceptable.

"We want to galvanise the work across our city-region led by our councils, GMP, public transport, charities, students, schools and activists to tackle gender-based violence in all its forms. To do so it’s vital we continue to work together in our shared objective including through the work of the Gender-Based Violence Board."