Public Transport: Sexual Offences

(asked on 20th January 2022) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the enforcement of legislation on (a) up-skirting and (b) other sexual assaults on public transport.


Answered by
Rachel Maclean Portrait
Rachel Maclean
This question was answered on 31st January 2022

Everyone has the right to feel safe when travelling and using public spaces. The Department for Transport is working closely with the Home Office on the Government’s cross-departmental strategy to address Violence Against Women and Girls.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for the Government. These crimes include rape, sexual violence, domestic abuse, stalking, ‘honour’-based abuse including female genital mutilation and forced marriage, ‘revenge porn’ and ‘upskirting’. They can have a profound and long-lasting impact on victims and have absolutely no place in our society

On July 21 we published our new cross-Government Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy to help ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere - at home, online and on the streets.

A key commitment in the VAWG Strategy includes appointing Laura Shoaf and Anne Shaw as Transport Champions to make public transport safer for women and girls. The Transport Women’s Safety Champions will shortly publish 13 independent recommendations on ways we can work together to improve the safety of women and girls on the transport network.

These proposals are a crucial step in the Government’s long-term commitment to making sure that women and girls can travel alone, safely and without fear.

The Department for Transport also works closely with transport partners on a range of initiatives to address the problems faced by vulnerable groups, including women and girls, on the transport network. However, we know that we must do more.

A Rail Delivery Group led project started in 2019 in partnership with the British Transport Police to drive a national strategy to improve safety of women and girls on the rail network. A specific training package has been developed and is being delivered to frontline rail staff across operators.

The British Transport Police is also currently working on technological solutions remove barriers to reporting crime. They were recently successful in a bid to the Home Office Safer Streets Fund to develop a ‘Safety App’ that will provide advice and support during customers journeys.

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