One in five UK girls experience sexual or physical harassment before they turn 12, study finds
The research found 87% of girls and young women had also been catcalled or received unwanted remarks about their appearance
One in five girls in the UK experience sexual or physical harassment for the first time before they turn 12, according to new research.
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The study by girl's education charity Plan International UK also found 87% of girls and young women had also been catcalled or received unwanted remarks about their appearance.
The findings form part of the charity's new campaign The Fine Print which highlights the hidden inequalities and expectations girls and young women face.
Campaigners said the latest research showed how "normalised" harassment had become and said far more needed to be done to protect women and girls, including against harm online.
Many girls said there were 'unwritten rules' they were expected to abide by, including being polite or likeable to avoid conflict (54%), being more mature than boys (52%) and accepting unwanted comments or behaviour as normal (46%).
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Ealaf, 17, member of Plan International’s Youth Advisory Panel, said: "I first was followed by a boy at the age of 10. And because he was one of my peers it wasn’t taken very seriously unfortunately.
"I honestly can’t remember a time where I did not experience unwanted comments about my appearance, which is really disheartening to look back on my experiences, especially at institutions like school."
Two-thirds (64%) of parents reported feeling concerned about the reality of raising a daughter in today's climate, pointing to anxiety about safety, equality and the environment girls are growing up in.
The study also revealed pessimism among young women, with more than half of young girls (56%) aged 16-24 did not believe gender equality would come in their lifetime.
Rose Caldwell, CEO at Plan International UK, said: "Girls are often told that gender equality has been achieved, or even gone too far. Today’s findings tell a very different story, exposing the daily reality of inequality that girls and young women still face.
"What is particularly concerning is how normalised this has become. Many girls told us harassment begins as early as primary school, which shapes how they dress, behave and move through the world from a young age.
"There has been important progress, including the criminalisation of public sexual harassment which came into force this year after years of campaigning. But far more must be done to protect girls and young women, particularly from online harm.
"Against a backdrop of political uncertainty, we are facing a perfect storm that threatens to stall, or even reverse, hard-won gains. Together we can change the conditions girls are born into. It’s time to take gender inequality seriously and ensure we don’t lose the progress that has already been made."
It comes as another report by children's charity Barnado's revealed that one in five girls in the UK are sent unwanted images online.
A survey of 4,000 young people also found that a quarter of girls had been called degrading names online, while one in seven of those aged 13-15 had been asked to send a nude image.
The government announced last year plans to invest £1bn over the next three years in tackling violence against women and girls, which it vowed to treat as a "national emergency".
A Home Office spokesperson said: “These figures highlight the stark reality that too many young girls face in our country. No society which accepts this can claim to be safe for women and girls.
“Through the Public Sex-Based Harassment Act – implemented under this government - we are making clear this behaviour is a crime, with perpetrators now facing up to two years in prison.
“We will not hesitate to deploy the full power of the state to tackle violence against women and girls.”