A new film, made in Cumbria, has been launched by charity Crimestoppers to highlight the sexual harassment women face every day.
The film was shot in the county by Kendal company Film on the Brain.
The firm is run by Mathew Wood and Giuseppe Abba and the film was directed by Em Humble, who all met while at school in Kendal.
The film shows a young woman experiencing four separate incidents of sexual harassment during her day, with them increasing in severity.
The film is part of a campaign that Crimestoppers has been running in Cumbria for the last three months that calls out the behaviours of those that make women and girls feel unsafe and urges the public to report criminal incidents anonymously to the charity.
The funding for the campaign was provided following a successful bid by police and crime commissioner Peter McCall, to the Home Office’s Safety of Women at Night Fund.
Gary Murray, North West regional manager at charity Crimestoppers, said: “The important messages of the campaign have reached a wide audience of both men and women, with over 100,000 people in Cumbria seeing our posts on social media and over 4,000 clicking for more information.
“We have also had an increase in reporting on all crime in Cumbria of 16 per cent and I am sure this new film will be shared widely.
“Cumbria is one of the safest places in England, however, unfortunately many women do experience sexual harassment in its many forms and many of those do not report it.
“The film and the campaign encourage victims to seek help and support from specialist Cumbrian agencies, and aims to increase anonymous reporting on those who commit crimes involving sexual harassment and importantly make men question their behaviour towards women.”
Giuseppe said: “We’ve really valued our work with Crimestoppers as it’s been an excellent opportunity to work on a project that aligns with our focus as a company. The entire process has been very collaborative, and it’s been a pleasure to work with Crimestoppers and our entire team to deliver this important message.”
Em said: “As a woman, working on this film was incredibly important to me. The discourse surrounding sexual harassment must shift to focus on those responsible for the crimes they commit, while providing support and solidarity with victims.”
If you have information on those responsible for criminal sexual harassment, you can stay anonymous by contacting Crimestoppers on freephone 0800 555 111 or visiting Crimestoppers-uk.org. Due to Crimestoppers’ anonymity guarantee, it cannot take information from victims.
Victims need to speak directly to the police or seek help from the following organisations:
- The Bridgeway Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Penrith – 0808 118 6432
- Gateway 4 Women, Carlisle – 01228 212 090
- Victim Support – independent charity in England & Wales that provides specialist practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses of crime on 08 08 16 89 111
