Most young men do nothing when they see women getting sexually harassed on the street

Just over half (53 percent) of boys and men between 16 and 25 years old have witnessed unwanted sexual behavior towards women in the past year. Three-quarters (77 percent) of young men did or said nothing the last time they witnessed it. The harassment mainly involved staring, whistling, and calling after a woman, according to research by research agency Ipsos I&O, commissioned by Plan International.

Over a third of young men saw a woman get stared at, and almost a quarter saw other men whistling at a woman. Sixteen percent witnessed sexual comments and catcalling, and 13 percent saw insulting remarks. Hissing, groping, boxing in, and asking for sexual acts were also mentioned.

According to the study, 77 percent of young men did or said nothing. Forty percent did not think staring or whistling was serious enough. A quarter did not intervene because they did not know what to do. One in five was afraid of negative fractions. Almost a quarter think it is okay to compliment a woman on the street about their body.

Boys and men do not always realize that certain behaviors can make girls and women feel uncomfortable and unsafe, the researchers found. For example, a third of young men exhibited unwanted sexual behavior themselves. Most of them, 25 percent, stared at a woman. The young men say they do so unconsciously. While girls and young women indicate that they find it intrusive when men stare at them or make sexually suggestive comments about their appearance or clothing, previous research commissioned by Plan International showed.

Plan International director Garance Reus-Deelder says that young men underestimate the impact of unwanted sexual behavior. “Too often, sexual harassment on the street goes unrecognized, gets labeled as ‘not that bad,’ or denied, while sexual harassment and violence restricts girls and young women worldwide in their freedom of movement and can lead to fear and trauma.”

About a thousand boys and young men between 16 and 25 participated in the study. According to them, training in which men learn to speak out, and information at schools can help combat unwanted sexual behavior.