A new campaign was launched on Wednesday in an effort to tackle sexual harassment on London’s public transport network.

The Transport for London campaign aims to send a “strong message” to offenders there is a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment on London’s transport network.

A series of posters and paid adverts will highlight common forms of harassment such as catcalling, staring and unwanted touching, and will aim to challenge the normalisation of such behaviours.

To coincide with the launch, officers from the Met and British Transport Police were beginning a week of action involving “high visibility” patrols, engaging with passengers about their concerns about sexual harassment.

Posters will appear across London aiming to challenge the normalisation of harassment

Posters will appear across London aiming to challenge the normalisation of harassment

Between 2019 and 2020 – the latest data available – there were 1,884 sexual offences reported on London’s transport network, the vast majority of which occurred on the Tube.

But TfL has stressed that harassment goes largely unreported, with a YouGov survey from 2020 suggesting that up to 90 per cent of offences are not reported.

Part of TfL’s new campaign will focus on encouraging anyone who experiences or witnesses any sexual behaviour to report it, regardless of whether they believe it to be a criminal offence.

Heidi Alexander, London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, said that “any incident of sexual harassment on our public transport network is one too many” and it is a “top priority” to ensure women and girls feel safe while travelling.

Posters will appear across London aiming to challenge the normalisation of harassment

Posters will appear across London aiming to challenge the normalisation of harassment

She said: “This new campaign sends a strong message to offenders that unwanted sexual behaviour is never acceptable in any form, and encourages anyone who has experienced or witnessed it to report it. We know that women and girls often feel unsure about reporting these types of behaviours, but if it makes you uncomfortable, it’s serious.

“By working with partners on high visibility patrols, targeted policing and engagement activity, we can drive down sexual harassment on the network, ensure that passengers know what to do if they need help, and bring perpetrators to justice.”