A new campaign aimed at men and boys challenging their behaviours to “tackle” sexual harassment of women and girls in public spaces has been launched in Greater Manchester this week.
#IsThisOK has been launched by Mayor Andy Burnham and Baroness Bev Hughes – Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice.
As part of the Greater Manchester 10-year ‘Gender-Based Violence Strategy’ – which was published back in September – the Mayor committed to personally leading the campaign, and so has set about launching it with the release of a new video that highlights the experiences women and girls face going about their daily lives.
The video will be taken out into schools, colleges and other community settings in the New Year and will be the first in a range of activities and public engagement about gender-based violence and challenging men’s and boys’ behaviours.
Some may perceive it as everyday harassment, but the behaviour in the video shows the impact it has on those on the receiving end and asks viewers the question ‘Do you think this is OK?’.
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Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has worked with women’s groups and men and boys as part of the development of the video, and say the video aims to get men and boys to recognise these types of behaviours are not okay, as they are “unsolicited intrusions which make women feel uneasy, threatened or even vulnerable”.
“Every woman will recognise these experiences,” GMCA says.
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📣 Today, Andy and Bev are launching the new campaign video.
The campaign is aimed at men and boys to challenge problematic behaviours and tackle the sexual harassment of women and girls in public spaces.#IsThisOK?
— Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham (@MayorofGM) December 16, 2021
The launch of the campaign and the release of the video comes after research conducted by UN Women UK found that:
71% of women of all ages in the UK have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space.
This number rises to 86% among 18-24-year-olds.
Over 95% of all women did not report their experiences of sexual harassment
This is why GMCA say the video is intended to spark a conversation across the Greater Manchester region on the behaviours of men and boys, and what is considered sexual harassment.
Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Mayor Andy Burnham said: “This year, we have heard heartfelt calls from women and girls, across all ages and backgrounds, for major change when it comes to ending everyday abuse, intimidation and violence [and] I am proud that we are now taking serious action in Greater Manchester in response to those calls with this ambitious 10-year strategy against all forms of gender-based violence.
“I recognise my personal responsibility to lead a new conversation about the change we need to see and that is why I am bringing forward this campaign aimed at men and boys.”
A new campaign aimed at men and boys challenging their behaviours to “tackle” sexual harassment of women and girls in public spaces / Credit: GMCA
He continued: “For too long, women and girls have had to put up with behaviours in public spaces that have made them feel uncomfortable, frightened or threatened [so] rather than women being forced to change their behaviours to feel safe, it is men and boys who need to take responsibility for this issue – either by reflecting on and changing our own behaviours or challenging those of people we know.
“If your behaviour is making women feel uncomfortable or unsafe, then our message is simple – it’s not OK.”
The launch of the campaign yesterday also marked the first meeting of the Greater Manchester Gender-Based Violence Board, which was one of the recommendations of the Gender Based-Violence Strategy to establish and will be chaired by the Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice, Baroness Bev Hughes.
GMCA says the Board will “drive the implementation of the strategy” over the next 10 years.
Baroness Bev Hughes added: “I’ve long campaigned for and worked on improving the safety of women and girls against a backdrop of societal attitudes and behaviours that have allowed sexual harassment in public spaces to go on for far too long [but] the tide is now turning on what was once deemed tolerable behaviours such as catcalls or unwanted sexual comments or jokes.
“It was never OK in the past and it’s not OK now.”
#IsThisOK has been launched by Mayor Andy Burnham and Baroness Bev Hughes / Credit: GMCA
She continued: “While some might say we should be focusing our energies on serious and violent crime against women and girls, and we are, we must also recognise that gender-based violence is on a continuum [and] turning a blind eye to everyday harassment gives some men and boys licence to go further and can lead to horrific consequences for the victim.
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“The common thread running through all these types of behaviours is that too many men and boys feel entitled to say and do whatever they want to women and girls.
“And that is just not acceptable.”
You can find out more about the #IsThisOK campaign on the GMCA website here.
Featured Image – GMCA
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Heartbreaking new figures show 35% of all children in the North West are living in poverty
Emily Sergeant
35% of all children in the North West are currently living in poverty, some heartbreaking new figures have revealed.
Some new research carried out to understand regional levels of child poverty, conducted by Loughborough University for the End Child Poverty Coalition, has sadly revealed over a third (35%) of all children in the North West are living in what is called ‘relative poverty’, after the cost of housing is considered – which is higher than the national average standing at 31%.
Over in the Lancashire authority of Pendle, this figure reaches 45%, making it the second highest rate of all local authorities in the country.
In Greater Manchester, both Oldham and Manchester join Pendle in the list of the 10 council areas with the highest child poverty rates in the UK, as well as Blackburn with Darwen, and Hyndburn, and to make matters worse, the North West features on the list more times than any other region nationwide.
Rusholme was identified as the Manchester area with the highest percentage rating – with more than half (51.3%) of all children there living in poverty.
88% of constituencies across the North West have a quarter of children in poverty.
This could lead to things like families being forced to use food banks, children going without warm clothes in winter, or living in cold or unsafe housing.
As a result of these shocking statistics being revealed, the End Child Poverty Coalition – which represents more than 135 organisations across the UK – is calling on the Government to meet its manifesto commitment to address these high levels of child poverty, not just in the North West but also across the rest of country.
“These figures should demonstrate to Government just how important it is to quickly address this so to prevent another generation of children from growing up in low-income families,” commented Rachel Walters, who is the End Child Poverty Coalition Manager.
“The Government’s strategy to tackle child poverty must invest in children in areas with higher levels of poverty, like the North West.”
Graham Whitham, who is a End Child Poverty Coalition spokesperson and the Chief Executive of Resolve Poverty, added: “No child should go without the things they need to be healthy and happy.
“The Government’s forthcoming national Child Poverty Strategy must demonstrate a clear ambition to ending child poverty in this country, backed by specific targets and immediate investment in social security.”
Featured Image – RawPixel
News
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road to close for annual safety checks this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road is set to close this weekend while annual safety checks are carried out, it has been confirmed.
As Manchester City Council looks to maintain and improve what is, by far, one of Manchester’s busiest and most-used roads, given the fact it is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, it has been confirmed that Mancunian Way is set to close overnight this weekend for its annual inspection.
Carried out every year, the Council explains that these closures ensure that ‘vital’ safety inspections can be conducted to allow the major road to continue operating as normal.
The overnight closure will take place from 7-8 June.
From 5am on Saturday (7 June), Mancunian Way will be closed in both directions along its entire length, including all slip roads, between the Chester Road roundabout and Fairfield Street, and this will last until 7pm on Sunday (8 June), after which the road will be open to traffic again as normal.
In the meantime while the closures are underway, the Council assures that a signed diversion route will be in place via the north and eastern ring road sections – Trinity Way and Great Ancoats Street – and a local diversion route will be signed via Bridgewater Street, Whitworth Street West, Whitworth Street, and Fairfield Street.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way is closing for annual safety checks this weekend / Credit: Pixabay
During this period there will also be a lane closure east/westbound at the Deansgate Interchange between 6:30-9:30am, and the inbound lane of Princess Road (heading towards Manchester) between 6:30am and 11:15am.
As is to be expected with these kinds of tasks, Councillors say they are preparing for a ‘level of disruption’ but are intending to keep it to a minimum.
“The annual inspection of the Mancunian Way is a vital job which ensures that the tens of thousands of daily users of this road can go about their journey in safety,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport.
“We do expect a level of disruption throughout this process so wherever possible we’d advise people to travel via public transport, or plan an alternate route ahead to avoid the work locations.
Emily Sergeant -
17th December 2021 
