Sexual Harassment Still A “Significant Threat” In Dublin Public Spaces For Women And Girls

Dublin City Council has been told that they need to act fast after a report, which was published back in 2015 saying that sexual harassment is a "significant threat" to women in public spaces, has seen no improvement on Dublin streets in almost three years. 

The Times (subscription needed) is reporting that some of the recommendations in a 2015 council report - including educating Gardaí and upgrading lightning between the area of Heuston station and Abbey Street - have not been put into action yet.  

The council was told three years ago that it was "imperative" that these initiatives were introduced but no action has been taking since. 

Dublin council set up a study to examine the prevalence of sexual assault in the city and found that sexual violence in public spaces was a “significant threat for women and girls”.

“Sexual harassment in particular is a frequent occurrence. It is distressing for women, leading to feelings of shame, humiliation, anxiety, fear and self-loathing,” the report said. 

The report added that the harassment was a "persistent problem" with sexual harassment taking place on public transport, particularly at night, while there was also concerns about taxi drivers.

What's even more worrying, women who spoke to researchers said that they would not report the events to the Gardaí as they felt it wasn't "significant enough."

You can read the full report here. 

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