MPs investigate rise of sex assaults in public places

MPs will investigate whether pornography is leading to a rise in assaults and harassment of women in public places.

The Women and Equalities Select Committee today launched a new inquiry to gather evidence about the scale of harassment experienced by women and girls on the street, on public transport and in bars and clubs.

It will also seek to identify the form it takes and the reasons why such incidents happen. That will include a focus on establishing whether there are links between harmful attitudes towards women and other behaviours like paying for sex or watching pornography.

The new inquiry comes after allegations of harassment erupted in different industries and sectors across the globe at the end of 2017 - including in Westminster.

Maria Miller, the chairwoman of the committee, said: "We know that sexual harassment can be experienced by anyone, but the evidence shows that it is overwhelmingly a problem that is perpetrated by men and boys against women and girls and forms part of the wider inequalities that women and girls experience - which is why we are focusing on this.

"Women and girls are harassed on buses, trains, in the street and in bars and clubs.

"We are putting a spotlight on a problem that seems to be so routine in women's lives, and yet has received very little attention in public policy.

"We want to find out why it happens, what the Government is doing to root it out, and what more can be done."

The committee’s plan to establish what measures can be taken to prevent and respond to sexual harassment of women and girls in public places will include an in-depth look at what the police, local authorities and other bodies are currently doing to tackle the issue.

MPs will consider whether existing laws to stop harassment are sufficient and if they are being enforced properly.

The committee’s new inquiry comes after it held a one-off evidence session on women’s experiences of everyday sexism and sexual harassment in December 2017.

Research published by YouGov in 2016 revealed that 85 per cent of women aged 18–24 had experienced unwanted sexual attention in public places while 45 per cent had experienced unwanted sexual touching.

Meanwhile, the number of reported sexual offences on trains have more than doubled in the past five years with 1,448 offences in 2016-17, up from 650 in 2012-2013.