City’s shame revealed in shock assault study
MOST young women don’t feel safe in Newcastle city centre and have been grabbed or groped, a shock survey shows.
Youth charity Streetwise quizzed hundreds and uncovered a disturbing image of a city where young women don’t feel safe and are often subjected to sexual harassment or assaults.
In response, Northumbria Police have encouraged victims of unwanted sexual behaviour to come forward and report it after it emerged many don’t.
The charity surveyed 278 young people with an average age of 16 and almost two thirds of them were women.
A staggering 87% of young women reported feeling unsafe in public spaces, 88% reported being ‘cat called’ and over two thirds said they had been groped or grabbed.
The majority of physical attacks happened in bars and nightclubs.
Nearly half of young women questioned said they changed their clothing to avoid unwanted sexual attention and nearly two thirds said they’d been sent unwanted sexual images or messages.
Almost a third of young women reported being a victim of sexual assault but only a quarter of those went on to report it, often because they didn’t think they’d be believed.
Mandy Coppin, CEO at Streetwise said: “The findings from this survey are alarming and tell us that we have a real problem with lack of shared respect, dignity and consent.
“Our communities do not appear to be safe and respectful and to find out that young people view these assaults as common place is distressing.
“We all have a duty to protect and care for our young people, they should not be grabbed or groped or feel they have to ‘put up with it’ or ‘get used to it’ and it is not okay to be a passive bystander.”
Responding to the findings, Northumbria Police urged young women to report crimes and reassured the public crimes against students are falling.
A spokesperson said: “It is concerning to hear that there are students in our region who do not feel safe and we want to reassure them that crime against students is actually falling.
“In the last academic year students were far less likely to be a victim of a violent or sexual crime than in previous years and our region remains one of the safest places in the country.
“People from all over the country flock to Newcastle to enjoy the nighttime economy and that is because they know that it is a safe and friendly environment.
“We have a number of successful schemes to help keep people safe including safeguarding training for door staff, taxi drivers and hotel staff.
“Officers are always on duty in our busy city centres and we have dedicated teams patrolling major transport hubs. If anyone has any concerns we would encourage them to speak to those officers.”
Streetwise will launch a new campaign called EmpowerHER on October 2 at intu Eldon Square’s Student Night. Many young women said they had been assaulted on a night out