How long do you think it took before these women were harassed while out for a run? Thirty minutes? An hour?
Try less than ten minutes.
Police in Surrey, England, had been receiving repeated reports from women who said they could not even go for a jog without being harassed.
So officers launched an undercover operation. Female officers dressed in normal athletic clothes and ran through areas where women had repeatedly reported being targeted.
The response was immediate. One officer was honked at within about ten minutes. 30 seconds later, another was subjected to lewd gestures from a passing driver.
They didn’t have to provoke anyone. They simply went for a run, and within minutes, it started. All they did was exist.
The month-long operation led to 18 arrests for offenses including harassment, sexual assault, and theft. A multitude of other men were given warnings and lectures on harassment.
This is what so many women and girls deal with constantly.
Women should be able to go for a run, walk to their car, or simply exist in public without being sexualised, harassed, or made to feel unsafe.
Does this surprise you, or is this exactly what you expected? (Women, I know you’re not surprised. Men, this is a good lesson as to what women constantly deal with).
