Petition · past parliament
Make Public Sexual Harassment a Criminal Offence in the UK
Rejected
17 signatures
What the petition asks
People all over the UK (particularly women and girls) feel unsafe due to the high levels of sexual harassment in public spaces.
The need for women to take precautions against sexual harassment every time they set foot in public is dystopian, it’s outrageous that public sexual harassment is legal.
The need for women to take precautions against sexual harassment every time they set foot in public is dystopian, it’s outrageous that public sexual harassment is legal.
Sexually harassing people of any gender should have no place anywhere, the UK is one of the most developed nations in the world but how can that be the case when countless women here feel unsafe leaving their homes?
According to a YouGov questionnaire: 97% of women aged 18-24 said they had been sexually harassed, 80% of women of all ages said they’d been sexually harassed in a public space.
Countries such as France and Belgium have already successfully criminalised this, why haven’t we?
According to a YouGov questionnaire: 97% of women aged 18-24 said they had been sexually harassed, 80% of women of all ages said they’d been sexually harassed in a public space.
Countries such as France and Belgium have already successfully criminalised this, why haven’t we?
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
You may wish to sign this petition calling for the same action: Make sexual harassment a specific criminal offence
Timeline
| 13 Mar 2021 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 22 Mar 2021 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
17
Status
Rejected
Rejected
22 Mar 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.