If you are a woman, you will know that being 'cat-called' is a common problem, and can leave you feeling embarrassed, ashamed and violated. 

Some of you may be surprised to hear, that women getting shamed and humiliated on the streets can be a DAILY thing, and is presently not at all punishable by law.

I write this petition as a response to an incident earlier today, where a group of men in broad daylight outside a coffee shop shouted extremely offensive slurs repetitively as I walked past. Everyone on the street turned round to look at me. How many of them intervened to help? None. I walked home in tears.

I thought, "why did I not stand up to them, tell them that what they did was wrong?". I should've done something, but fearing for my own safety got in the way.

I thought to myself, "did the suffragettes fear for their own safety when they were tortured in prison. YES. Did that prevent them from doing what's right? NO".
So I walked back, to tell them my mind. 

We shouldn't have to fear for our life in order to be equal.

With this petition, we can make it illegal to 'cat-call' women on the streets. This means fewer people would dare to do it in public spaces in front of crowds. It means people will more likely step in and help. It means people will increasingly report incidences to the police. It finally means that humiliating women in public is considered a serious offence.

The government has said that making cat-calling illegal will not stop the problem. But they are wrong. If we had this ideology about everything we wanted to change, what would society be? This is not an overnight solution, yes; as with all equality acts, it takes generations to finally implement. This law may not stop all men on the streets calling out at you today, but it will stop men from calling out at your daughters or granddaughters.

It has been almost a year since France outlawed cat-calling as part of a wider crackdown on street harassment, and since, French police have imposed over 450 fines. This is a big step in the right direction, and it is time the UK does the same!

To take this to the House of Parliament, we need 100,000 signatures! Please share with family and friends!