The UK is leading international efforts to tackle all forms of violence and abuse faced by women and girls, including sexual harassment, and to ensure all countries adopt best practice in terms of encouraging the reporting of these crimes, and supporting victims through the investigative and judicial processes. The Foreign Secretary recently launched the International Coalition to end Violence Against Women and Girls, alongside an initial seven partner countries, and the UK will host a global summit on these issues next year. The UK works with a range of international partners, including in justice systems, to ensure that survivors of violence can access support and receive justice. For example, through our What Works to Prevent Violence programme we are working with local women's rights organisations and the Malawian police force to improve their response to violence.

The Department is pleased to work with employers such as McDonald’s UK to provide work experience opportunities.

All employers hosting placements are required to comply with relevant legislation and are expected to provide a safe working environment including safeguards relating to health and safety, welfare, equality and protection from harassment. Participants undertaking work experience placements are covered by the same workplace protections as other workers.

The Department undertakes due diligence when establishing and maintaining partnerships with employers. This includes requiring employers to sign an employer agreement confirming their compliance with relevant workplace safety and safeguarding legislation and maintaining ongoing engagement through Jobcentre Employer and Partnership teams. Where concerns are raised, placements can be reviewed and appropriate action can be taken.

Where people report incidents of sexual harassment and assault to the police, under the Home Office Crime Recording Rules, all reports of incidents will, unless immediately recorded as a crime, result in the registration of an auditable incident report by the police.

The Department is taking action to address such incidents through its work across government and with partners in industry and Local Transport Authorities, to ensure that everyone using bus services feels and is safe. That is why there are nine Departmental commitments within the cross-government ‘Freedom From Violence and Abuse Action Plan’, published 18th December 2025.

This includes mandating training for staff working in the bus industry, including drivers and those who deal directly with the travelling public, on how to recognise and respond to incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) on public transport, in the Bus Services Act 2025. The Department will publish statutory guidance to outline that the training should cover how to identify, respond appropriately to and, where possible, prevent ASB and Violence Against Women and Girls.

The Act also gives local transport authorities the power to create byelaws and deploy officers who can deal with anti-social behaviour and fare evasion on the bus network. Byelaws enable authorised officers to take enforcement action, including requiring individuals to leave vehicles or facilities and issuing penalties where appropriate, thereby protecting drivers.

Public sexual harassment is a crime that often leaves victims, who are disproportionately likely to be women, feeling very unsafe. That is why tackling it is an important part of our mission on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Our “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, published on 18th December 2025, committed to commence the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023 on 1 April 2026. This includes publication of the statutory guidance for police on the same day, which is a requirement of Section 2 of the Act. We are working directly with policing to ensure everything is in place to support them in enforcing the aggravated offence from 1 April 2026.

The Government recognises the importance of challenging and changing the behaviour of perpetrators of public sexual harassment. That is why we are exploring opportunities to further raise public awareness of the Act and are exploring introducing a public sexual harassment awareness course to be offered to perpetrators to challenge and address their behaviours and reduce offending.

Public sexual harassment is a crime that often leaves victims, who are disproportionately likely to be women, feeling very unsafe. That is why tackling it is an important part of our mission on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Our “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, published on 18th December 2025, committed to commence the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023 on 1 April 2026. This includes publication of the statutory guidance for police on the same day, which is a requirement of Section 2 of the Act. We are working directly with policing to ensure everything is in place to support them in enforcing the aggravated offence from 1 April 2026.

The Government recognises the importance of challenging and changing the behaviour of perpetrators of public sexual harassment. That is why we are exploring opportunities to further raise public awareness of the Act and are exploring introducing a public sexual harassment awareness course to be offered to perpetrators to challenge and address their behaviours and reduce offending.

Public sexual harassment is a crime that often leaves victims, who are disproportionately likely to be women, feeling very unsafe. That is why tackling it is an important part of our mission on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Our “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, published on 18th December 2025, committed to commence the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023 on 1 April 2026. This includes publication of the statutory guidance for police on the same day, which is a requirement of Section 2 of the Act. We are working directly with policing to ensure everything is in place to support them in enforcing the aggravated offence from 1 April 2026.

The Government recognises the importance of challenging and changing the behaviour of perpetrators of public sexual harassment. That is why we are exploring opportunities to further raise public awareness of the Act and are exploring introducing a public sexual harassment awareness course to be offered to perpetrators to challenge and address their behaviours and reduce offending.

Public sexual harassment is a crime that often leaves victims, who are disproportionately likely to be women, feeling very unsafe. That is why tackling it is an important part of our mission on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Our “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, published on 18th December 2025, committed to commence the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023 on 1 April 2026. This includes publication of the statutory guidance for police on the same day, which is a requirement of Section 2 of the Act. We are working directly with policing to ensure everything is in place to support them in enforcing the aggravated offence from 1 April 2026.

The Government recognises the importance of challenging and changing the behaviour of perpetrators of public sexual harassment. That is why we are exploring opportunities to further raise public awareness of the Act and are exploring introducing a public sexual harassment awareness course to be offered to perpetrators to challenge and address their behaviours and reduce offending.

Public sexual harassment is a crime that often leaves victims, who are disproportionately likely to be women, feeling very unsafe. That is why tackling it is an important part of our mission on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Our “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, published on 18th December 2025, committed to commence the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023 on 1 April 2026. This includes publication of the statutory guidance for police on the same day, which is a requirement of Section 2 of the Act. We are working directly with policing to ensure everything is in place to support them in enforcing the aggravated offence from 1 April 2026.

The Government recognises the importance of challenging and changing the behaviour of perpetrators of public sexual harassment. That is why we are exploring opportunities to further raise public awareness of the Act and are exploring introducing a public sexual harassment awareness course to be offered to perpetrators to challenge and address their behaviours and reduce offending.

Public sexual harassment is a crime that often leaves victims, who are disproportionately likely to be women, feeling very unsafe. That is why tackling it is an important part of our mission on VAWG.

The “Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls”, published on 18th December 2025, committed to commence the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023 on 1 April 2026. This includes publication of the statutory guidance for police on the same day, which is a requirement of Section 2 of the Act. We are working directly with policing to ensure everything in is in place to support them in enforcing the aggravated offence from 1 April 2026.

The Office for Responsible Business Conduct’s (ORBC) Dispute Resolution Service, formerly the UK National Contact Point, operates independently from Ministers. In line with the ORBC’s rules of procedure, mediation has been offered to both parties to the Complaint following the publication of the Initial Assessment on the 7^th of January 2026.