Caroline Nokes MP joins L’Oréal Paris and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to stand up against street harassment
To mark international anti-street harassment week (3-9 April) Caroline Nokes MP has thrown their support behind a campaign launched by L’Oréal Paris and Suzy Lamplugh Trust which aims to stamp out sexual harassment for good.
The MP for Romsey and Southampton North has personally undertaken “up-stander training”, which provides participants with a simple and proven toolkit to safely intervene if they witness sexual harassment in a public place.
Sexual harassment has been identified as one of the most important issues facing women and girls worldwide. In 2021, an Ipsos survey in the UK, revealed that 80% of women have experienced harassment in public spaces, while 42% of respondents have witnessed at least one incident. Of these very few say they had the confidence to intervene.
The Stand Up training focuses on the “5 D’s” intervention training programme originally pioneered by international NGO, Right To Be. It encourages those who witness harassment to act by
1) Distracting the perpetrator
2) Delegating by asking for help
3) Documenting the harassment
4) Directing by speaking up
5) Delaying by providing comfort.
Caroline Nokes MP said:
“It is shocking that 80% of women have experienced street harassment in public and I believe that it is time to take collective action to change the culture in which this too often happens unchallenged.
“That’s why I’m supporting the Stand Up to Street Harassment campaign, launched by L’Oréal Paris and Suzy Lamplugh Trust, and why I am encouraging all my constituents, male and female, to undertake up-stander training online.”
Caroline O’Neill, General Manager of L’Oréal Paris in the UK said:
“At L’Oréal Paris we are humbled to partner with a charity as pioneering as the Suzy Lamplugh Trust whose expertise will be invaluable to the Stand Up Against Street Harassment cause.
“We are eager to listen and learn from the Trust on how we can progress the Stand Up platform further and train as many people as possible.
“Together, we can get the UK to Train Up to Stand Up, to drive cultural change and work towards a future without street harassment.”
Suky Bhaker, CEO of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, said:
“We welcome Caroline Nokes MP’s support for this important campaign.
“Everyone has the right to be safe. But as our survey finds, a shocking number of people - disproportionately women - are experiencing harassment in public spaces. It is unacceptable. Stand Up Against Street Harassment intervention training aims to address the prevalence of public harassment. Working with L’Oréal Paris through Stand Up, we aim to equip people with tools to tackle public harassment. Bystanders can play an important role in supporting victims, helping them feel - and be - safer.”
