Last week, a new campaign was launched by Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire aptly titled ‘Just-don’t’. The aim of the short film is to challenge unacceptable male behaviour and bring about the much-needed change to stop the ‘banter’ that often offends and can instill fear in women and girls.
The campaign has been launched after statistics showed that 86 per cent of young women in the UK have experienced sexual harassment in public. Research and testing with focus groups found men were “frequently unaware of the issues women face all too often,” according to campaign organisers the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA).
Tracy Brabin is spearheading the campaign and said: “The fact that we, as women and girls, have to face constant harassment and abuse in our everyday lives is appalling, but sadly not surprising.
“This isn’t about blame — men and boys have a key role to play in helping us end this behaviour. This is about encouraging them as allies to see the problem and empowering them to help us by stepping up and calling it out.
“Things must change. Our message in this campaign is that it’s not banter, it’s not harmless, and it’s not okay, so just don’t. I’m urging everybody to join us in this fight to tackle inappropriate behaviour towards women and girls.”
Find out more about the campaign, download their resources and help spread the key messages.
If you are having any issues accessing resources please contact digital@westyorks-ca.gov.uk directly.