It’s ASB Awareness Week 30 June to 6 July 2025
Come to a free pop-up event to learn about the measures we can take to tackle antisocial behaviour (ASB).
Support, advice and where to find help.
Women and girls experience harassment every day from boys and men.
Staring, unwelcome comments, and jokes of a sexual nature are harassment. These seemingly small acts can grow into violence and abuse.
Women and girls should be able to walk our streets without fear or intimidation. It is not for them to adapt their behaviour to avoid unwanted attention from men or to feel safe.
That’s why our campaign ‘Through Her Eyes’ speaks directly to men and boys.
If it’s not called out, sexual harassment can escalate into violence against women and girls. This abuse is often seen as part of normal life. We want men and boys to make it right by challenging their own attitudes and behaviour, and that of others.
Types of harassment include:
It can be difficult to know how to call out sexist jokes or comments. Non-judgemental questions can be a good way to open up the conversation, like 'why do you think that?' or 'what is funny about that?’ Or you could choose to say something simple like 'that's not OK' or 'that wasn't funny'.
Find a way to call out harmful behaviour outside of a group. This avoids putting the other person on the spot, and your conversation will likely be more open and trusting.
Sometimes it's not safe to challenge inappropriate behaviour. Always put your own safety first. Don’t feel pressure to join in.
You don’t have to engage and can walk away. This sends a signal that you’re not comfortable with the situation.
Share the Through Her Eyes video with friends, at school or work. Start a conversation about how you talk about and treat women and girls.
Your actions can help teach other boys and men to stand up to sexual harassment when they see it.
You can also:
If you've watched the video, please tell us what you think. You can:
If you feel unsafe, move to a place of safety. This could be a coffee shop, bar or shop. Anywhere there are people around.
Although you don’t have to report the crime to the police if you don’t want to, they will take reports of sexual harassment seriously.
How to report sexual harassment:
If you have information about harassment happening in public, call 0800 555111 or fill in the online form to report harassment through Crimestoppers.
You can remain anonymous.
If you’ve been a victim of sexual harassment, remember it is never your fault - no matter what the circumstances are.
Respect work with perpetrators, male victims, and young people using violence in their close relationships.
They can be contacted through their web page or on 0808 8024040.
We’d like to hear the experiences of women and girls in Southwark to understand how safe you feel living, working and travelling in our borough.
Visit our Women and girls’ safety survey page to find out more.