Petition · past parliament

Make cat calling an illegal act in the UK

Closed 14 signatures

What the petition asks

Cat calling refers to the act of shouting harassing and often sexually suggestive, threatening, or derisive comments at someone publicly.

Surveys have found that 85% of people under 40 years old have taken a different route home to avoid harassment. Cat Calling should not have this power.
End Violence Against Women Coalition commissioned YouGov to conduct the first national poll on street harassment in 2016. The poll found that 64% of women of all ages have experienced unwanted sexual harassment in public places.

There are laws in the UK which focus on sexual misconduct but none specifically related to catcalling. This is not an impossible task with countries like Portugal, Belgium and France having already implemented such laws.

Timeline

24 Oct 2018 Petition opened for signatures
24 Apr 2019 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 14
Status Closed
Opened 24 Oct 2018
Closed 24 Apr 2019

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.