TfL embarks on major sexual harassment awareness campaign across network

Transport for London (TfL) has embarked on a major campaign to make it clear to offenders that sexual harassment is not tolerated on its services.

By raising awareness of the issue, TfL hopes to encourage Londoners to look out for one another and encourage reporting both from those who witness it and those targeted.

The awareness campaign, created by Wavemaker, VCCP and OTM, will run at platforms across the TfL network, as well as at key digital sites, targeting all public transport users.

The creative will spell out the many types of sexual harassment that can occur, clearly defining the behaviour and providing reference to reporting channels. It will also be featured in the London press, through titles such as Metro and Evening Standard, as well as in some regional press titles.

Display partners Stylist, Pink News and LadBible will each house editorial content that will be amplified across their owned social channels.

Running in parallel, podcast companies Acast and AudioPlus will feature bespoke stories across shows.

The campaign responds to the insight that, while sexual harassment disproportionately affects women and girls, anyone can experience it. The drive emphasises the importance that all groups are educated on the different types of sexual harassment, so they can recognise it, report it, and where possible, offer emotional support if an incident occurs. 

The activity, which is the outcome of a partnership with the Rail Delivery Group, British Transport Police and Metropolitan Police, aims to raise awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment in an attempt to denormalise the acceptance of these behaviours. 

Miranda Leedham head of customer marketing and behaviour change at TfL said: “No-one should be subjected to sexual harassment on our transport network and we are determined to challenge acceptance of these behaviours. This new campaign, combined with tactics to improve education and awareness, will be pivotal in demonstrating that any form of sexual assault will quite simply not be tolerated on our network.

“People may be reluctant to report an incident because they think it isn’t severe enough or won’t be taken seriously by authorities. But if someone's behaviour has made you uncomfortable, it's serious to us and we strongly encourage victims to report anything that makes them feel uncomfortable to a TfL staff member or via other available channels.”