Charity and rail partners promise SWIFT action to challenge sexual harassment

Crimestoppers asks people to speak up as Scotland rail bosses promise ‘SWIFT’ action on sexual harassment

• Campaign launched to reach thousands travelling to Taylor Swift in Edinburgh and encouraging reporting, helping to make sure there is no unsafe space on Scotland’s railways

Crimestoppers Scotland is joining with Network Rail, British Transport Police (BTP) Scotland and the rail industry to tackle sexual harassment by ensuring people understand what constitutes such behaviour.

The campaign will also inform people of the action they can take to report sexual harassment if they witness it – thereby helping to combat it.

With over 200,000 Taylor Swift fans attending concerts over three nights, Scotland’s rail and transport networks will be extremely busy.

Government research shows that 84% of women and 60% of men in the UK population have experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime.

To tackle this, the rail industry is raising awareness about what constitutes sexual harassment with a Scotland-wide social media campaign, information distributed at Scotland’s stations – including on big screens – to report instances where they feel unsafe. This will make it clear to perpetrators that their behaviour is not tolerated on the railway.

That’s why independent charity Crimestoppers, alongside Network Rail, Rail Delivery Group and Scotland’s Railway expects that promoting a shared understanding of what sexual harassment looks like will help people who see or experience it gain the confidence to speak.

This will help ensure perpetrators are held accountable for their actions and BTP is encouraging reporting to give them a greater opportunity to detect and punish offenders.

Angela Parker, National Manager of charity Crimestoppers Scotland, said: “Our charity believes that everyone has the right to feel safe, and that includes when travelling on public transport.

“We want everyone to have a safe, enjoyable summer but often sexual harassment can be frightening and traumatising, spoiling what should be a fun and memorable event. That’s why we’re working with partners to ensure everyone knows what constitutes sexual harassment and how they can report safely and anonymously.

“Our charity has equipped all of Scotland’s railway stations with sexual harassment calling cards and information.

“If you are uncomfortable about reporting someone you know who is responsible for sexual harassment, remember that you can speak up completely anonymously by calling the railway’s sexual harassment line which is powered by Crimestoppers on 0800 783 0137.

“We guarantee no one will ever know you contacted us and you will be helping to protect others from the harm caused by this unacceptable criminal behaviour.”

Allan Brooking, Community Safety Manager at Network Rail Scotland, said: “Any form of sexual harassment is unacceptable on our railway and in wider society.

“This summer is a busy time for our network, especially with three Taylor Swift concerts in Edinburgh. We want everyone to feel safe and confident that they can use the railway without feeling harassed, violated, or intimidated.

“This campaign will contribute to making Scotland’s Railway safer, ensuring people understand what constitutes sexual harassment and what actions they can take to directly report sexual harassment to Crimestoppers and partners.

“We are working closely with Crimestoppers, BTP and the wider rail industry to demonstrate how we can all play our part in keeping each other safe”.

Chris  Shields, Chief Inspector, British Transport Police said: “Sexual harassment is anything that makes you or anybody else feel uncomfortable with a sexual element.

“This campaign is about educating people on what is not acceptable and how to report it, so we can work together to make the rail network a hostile environment for sexual harassment. Each report we receive provides us with valuable information which we can use to build an accurate picture of an offender and take action.

“We need to work together with the community to tackle this behaviour and create this hostile environment to discourage people from behaving in this manner.

“If you look at the root cause of some the behaviours around sexual assault it all stems from sexual harassment.

“We urge anyone who experiences or witnesses sexual harassment to text us on 61016, whether something is happening at the time or has happened recently.

“Save 61016 in your phone, so you have the number to hand should you ever need us. No report is too small or trivial, and we will always take you seriously.”