Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin has launched the #JustDont campaign, the latest step in her fight to improve the safety of women and girls in West Yorkshire.
The campaign is aimed at boys and men aged 14-21 and tells the story of five men who make excuses for their inappropriate behaviours.
86% of young women in the UK have experienced sexual harassment in public, whilst 1 in 5 women in the UK have been sexually assaulted.
The campaign aims to encourage men and boys to reflect on their own behaviour and bring about change by having conversations with their friends and family. It was informed by the Mayor’s Safety of Women and Girls Strategy and conducted thorough research.
Tracy Brabin stated: “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.”