2026 Campaign Asks

1. Help us spread the word about the new Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act

As of April 2026, if you are harassed in public because of your sex (or perceived sex), and the person uses threatening, insulting or abusive words or behaviour, they can be prosecuted and could be jailed for up to two years. This means behaviours like catcalling, following, or making lewd comments are now explicitly illegal.

This new law is a victory for a grassroots campaign led by girls fed up with the normalisation of sexual harassment of women and girls in public spaces, but there is still a long way to go in changing the culture.

2. End drone voyeurism on the beach

It’s not OK to film women enjoying the beach or swimming in the sea. Listen to women about how this makes them feel.

Beaches should not be surveillance zones for women’s bodies. Women and girls in Brighton and Hove report distress and intimidation caused by private drones filming them while sunbathing or swimming.

Current law has not kept pace with the use of drones for invasive filming and online sexualised content. Existing UK laws mainly regulate drones as aircraft, not as tools for harassment or sexualised filming and do not clearly prohibit invasive drone filming of women in public spaces.

We call for:

a ban on private recreational drones along busy seafronts and beaches,
stronger voyeurism and privacy protections covering drone filming,
and enforcement powers for councils and police to stop intrusive filming before harm escalates.

Women deserve privacy, dignity, and freedom from harassment in public spaces.

3. Invest more in safety for women and girls.

There are organisations and charities trying to address the issue of women’s safety locally, but many are charities and working on a shoestring budget. Safe Space Brighton, for example, is open 11.30pm to 4.00am on Friday and Saturday nights. We would like to see more initiatives like this close to the front, open longer hours and with women-only spaces offered as part of the service.