Sydney’s sexual harassment hotspots are revealed: Study shows which neighbourhoods are most dangerous for women walking alone at night
- Busy train stations in Sydney have been identified as sexual harassment hotspot
- Central Station and Belmore Park, Town Hall, Hyde Park were ‘bad locations’
- ‘Unsafe in the City’ report revealed Newtown Station and King Street also as bad
- Only 39 per cent of victims who were harassed actually told someone about it
Women are most likely to be stalked and harassed at busy train stations in Sydney’s CBD than anywhere else in the city, according to a disturbing new study.
Locations in Inner Sydney have been identified as sexual harassment hotspots as part of a joint research project by Plan International and Monash University.
Central Station, Belmore Park, Town Hall, Hyde Park, Newtown Station and King Street, were among the most dangerous locations.
Women are most likely to be stalked and harassed at busy train stations in Sydney’s CBD than anywhere else in the city, according to a disturbing new study (Central Station pictured)
Central Station, Belmore Park, Town Hall, Hyde Park, Newtown Station and King Street, were among the most dangerous locations
These areas had the largest number of reports by women who were either verbally harassed, sexually assaulted or even chased.
However only 39 per cent of the victims told someone about the harassment or reported the incident to police, according to the Unsafe in the City report.
One teenager said: ‘The same man on multiple occasions has followed me through train carriages and around Central Station harassing me for my number.’
‘This man (over 50) made me (aged 17) feel so uncomfortable and unsafe that I now don’t attend university lectures that align with the times I found him there. Didn’t believe I could report it due to lack of evidence and was afraid I would be told that ‘he is just being friendly’ or some other BS excuse.’
Another explained: ‘A group of teenage boys followed me on bikes and scooters. They took turns riding past me and hitting me. They would make comments on my race and sexist comments.’
According to the study, 34 per cent of women in Sydney have experienced verbal threats and only 3 per cent of reports made to authorities were actually dealt with.
The study showed that women felt safest around Circular Quay, Royal Botanic Gardens, McIver Baths in Coogee and the UNSW campus.