Half of women harassed by sex pests reveal bystanders just looked the other way

A SHOCKING 54 per cent of female victims of violence and harassment say bystanders saw the abuse take place – but refused to help.

This is despite 64 per cent of Britons saying they feel a personal responsibility to help those at risk.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales last week revealed that 6.9 per cent of women experienced domestic abuse in the year ending in March – an estimated 1.7 million women.

And last year, at least 141 UK women were killed by men – an increase on the previous two years.

The number of sexual offences recorded by the police for the 12 months to September 2021 was the highest on record at 170,973, the Office of National Statistics found.

This figure was up 12 per cent on the same period in 2020, with rape accounting for 37 per cent (63,136).

Reasons why a passer-by does not step in include not knowing what to do to stop an assault, either verbal or physical (21 per cent) and worrying for their own safety (38 per cent).

Our Keep Women Safe On Our Streets crusade has highlighted the dangers faced by women and girls.

Most people in England and Wales think the issue has been ignored for too long, a poll for the Government’s “Enough” drive found.

The campaign urges people to STOP – Say something, Tell someone, Offer support, Provide a distraction – to rescue a woman or girl. Its backers include 40 organisations, such as Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis.

Daniel Guinness of Beyond Equality, a charity which works with men and boys to change attitudes, said stopping the violence will take efforts “by all of us”.

He said: “Men need to recognise and challenge behaviours and comments that normalise or excuse sexual harassment or violence by men, or that hide the impact of it.”