Our Story
It started with a conversation. It led to a movement.
Our Streets Now was founded in 2019 by two teenage sisters, sharing how they experienced the world as young women. They spoke about feeling afraid walking home at night. About being harassed in their school uniform. About how their lives were restricted by the fear of public sexual harassment. And about how this was an everyday reality for millions of women, girls and people of marginalised genders up and down the country.
They began a petition to make public sexual harassment (PSH) a criminal offence. Within 100 days, that petition had over 100,000 signatures. It now sits at almost half a million. It caught the attention of local media, then national media, then policymakers at the heart of government. And, in 2023, the five year campaign to make PSH a crime was a success.
Since our launch, we’ve been asked by local authorities, universities, sports teams, and workplaces to lead on work to make their public spaces safer. We have brought a previously normalised issue firmly into public conversation, through government consultations and a consistent media presence. We’ve worked with, and been led by, hundreds of incredible volunteers. We’ve learnt that meaningful change must be preventative, as well as responsive, and must centre the stories of those who experience intersecting levels of inequality.
We have brought a previously normalised issue firmly into public conversation
Our Vision
An end to public sexual harassment in the UK.
We will achieve this through education, raising public visibility and pushing for long-term cultural and legislative change.
Our Mission
To end the normalisation of public sexual harassment, and embed prevention across institutions and communities.
Our Purpose
75%
of girls in the UK have experienced some form of public sexual harassment in their lifetime.
64%
of pupils said they have never been taught about PSH at school.
70%
of respondents in our Sports Survey said they had experienced public sexual harassment.
Find out more about where we’re going
Education, Visibility and Advocacy continue to be core pillars of our work. We can’t wait for you to read our new strategy, and see our vision for a world without public sexual harassment.
