3 out of 5 women abused or harassed
Two-thirds feel unsafe on the street after dark
THREE out of five women in Scotland have been victims of sexual harassment or assault, a survey has revealed.
The STV study also found that more than two-thirds of women do not feel safe walking alone after dark.
The results of the ScotPulse survey – commissioned for the Scotland Tonight programme – come amid increasing concern about women’s safety following the death of Sarah Everard in Kent.
The research found that 59 per cent of female respondents had experienced sexual harassment or assault, while 68 per cent do not feel safe walking alone in Scotland’s streets after dark.
Of the women who had been harassed or assaulted, 46 per cent of the incidents took place inside hospitality venues. Within the 18 to 34-year-old demographic, this number rose to 72 per cent.
Two in five of the women who had been harassed or assaulted said it happened on the street, while 35 per cent said incidents had occurred in the workplace.
The survey questioned 1,055 adults in Scotland over the age of 18; 60 per cent of whom were women. Of the men, 59 per cent said they do not think it is safe for women to walk alone at night.
Some 47 per cent said they believe men fully appreciate the fears women have around safety.
But less than a third of women (29 per cent) believe men understand their concerns.
The findings were discussed during last night’s edition of Scotland Tonight. The programme included a report on the experiences of several women who attended vigils for Miss Everard in Glasgow at the weekend.
One of them, Mhairi, said: ‘Sarah’s story touched me, as it has all these other people. I’ve been in Glasgow since 1977.
‘When I first moved here, I was aware of the harassment you’d get as a young woman and it’s still happening now all these years later. Often people ask why you don’t go to the police. It’s below the level that you feel you can report, because you can’t say a man looked at you in a hostile manner or wouldn’t get out of the way for you on the pavement.
‘These are everyday things that you just learn to live with.’
Another woman, Becky, said: ‘It’s being groped, it’s being harassed in clubs countless times, being grabbed, being stared at, people touching you inappropriately without your consent. It happens so often.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Violence against women and girls is one of the most devastating and fundamental violations of human rights and it is vital that perpetrators are held to account.
‘We are investing significant levels of funding in frontline support services to ensure that women and children can safely access the support they need.’