Warning as campaigners reveal UK’s toughest places to be a girl
A report highlights how UK girls feel uncertain about their futures and let down by the lack of progress on gender equality.
Just one in 20 girls and young women feel completely safe in public spaces across the country, campaigners have revealed.
North East Lincolnshire is the toughest place in the UK to be a girl, research from Plan International UK said.
Blackpool, Barrow-in-Furness (now Westmorland and Furness), Rochdale and Knowsley – all in the North West of England – made up the rest of the top five toughest places when measures including education, employment and life expectancy were all taken into account.
Rose Caldwell, CEO at Plan International UK, said: “Our report finds that no matter where in the UK girls are, they are not experiencing the progress on gender equality that they've been promised and still face barriers to leading healthy lives, obtaining a well-rounded education, and feeling safe and protected.
“Society has been increasingly telling girls they can be and do anything, but they are still held back by outdated stereotypes and unfair expectations. Growing up in a cost-of-living crisis and a climate emergency, girls feel uncertain and anxious about their own future and the future of the world.”
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The top performing areas where women and girls felt safe were East Dunbartonshire in Scotland, Sutton in south London, Isle of Anglesey in Wales, Lisburn and Castlereagh in Northern Ireland, and South Oxfordshire.
In the ranking, no area scored above 80 out of 100 points, which the charity said showed “there is clear room for improvement for every council and community in supporting girls’ rights”.
Ms Caldwell said: “Our report should sound the alarm for all politicians and leaders. Girls want to have their voices heard. The new UK Government must do more to create meaningful change that tackles inequality and ends discrimination for girls.”
The Daily Express has campaigned with Plan UK through the Keep Women Safe on Our Streets campaign.
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We called for public sexual harassment to become a specific criminal offence, which came into law through a Bill that received Royal Assent last year.
Plan UK’s report polled 2,963 girls and women aged 12-21 across the UK, which the charity said was the biggest survey in the report’s eight-year history.
They found only 5% feel completely safe in public spaces such as on public transport or on the street, while 9% feel completely safe in online spaces, and 11% said they feel completely safe in leisure spaces.
A fifth (20%) do not trust the police at all, rising to almost a quarter of 17 to 21 year-olds.
A spokesman for North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “Like many young people across the country, those growing up in our area do face challenges but there are also both tremendous opportunities and exciting plans for the future in North East Lincolnshire.
“We are working hard with our community and our partners to support our young people as they grow, giving them greater opportunities to thrive and succeed.”
