The Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset, Claire Hiscott, has thrown her weight behind a national campaign to end violence against women and girls. 

The Crimestoppers campaign has called on people to change their attitudes towards violence against women and girls, and to be forthcoming in reporting it.  

As part of their campaign Crimestoppers commissioned a report conducted by the University of Suffolk.

The report found one in six children face unwanted sexual harassment in public from the age of 10. The report carried out a survey of 1,800 people. It found that 16.8% of respondents first experienced sexual harassment when they were ten or younger.

30.9% of respondents reported their first unwanted sexual encounters taking place between the ages of 14 and 16. 23% of female respondents said they had been “forced” to have sex. 

The results of the self-selected online survey were subjectively sampled to include male, female, disabled and LGBT participants from a range of ethnic backgrounds. 84.7% of respondents were women, and 12.7% were men.  

Deputy PCC Claire Hiscott said: “The findings of this Crimestoppers’ report are shocking; it demonstrates that those who experience sexual harassment often encounter it for the first-time during childhood or adolescence and this needs to change.” 

She added that: “We want victims to continue to have the confidence to come forward and report but, collectively, we all need to call out when people have inappropriate attitudes towards Violence Against Women and Girls as this such behaviour cannot continue to be normalised. Whether it’s a comment, remark or action from a loved one, colleague or acquaintance we need to question, challenge and educate on what is and is not appropriate.”