Mayor of West Yorkshire signs commitment to help tackle misogyny

Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire has pledged her support for Girlguiding’s campaign to tackle misogyny and sexism, by signing its ‘Commitment to girls’ to show there’s no place for misogyny in West Yorkshire.

Research from Girlguiding, the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated entirely to girls, reveals the widespread misogynist abuse and harassment faced by girls in school, in public, and online. According to its 2025 Girls’ Attitudes Survey, in the past year, two thirds of girls (68%) aged 11-21 have changed their everyday behaviour to avoid sexual harassment.

Girlguiding’s research found

• More than half (56%) of girls and young women aged 11-21 don’t feel safe on public transport on their own.
• 86% of girls aged 11-21 have avoided going out when it’s dark to keep themselves safe.
• 92% of girls and young women 11-21 have had to take action to protect themselves online.

Concerningly, 1 in 10 girls aged 11-16 (10%) have missed school to avoid sexual harassment and more than 1 in 4 girls (27%) have pretended to be less smart to avoid abuse from boys. 15% of girls aged just 7-10 said they have experienced comments from boys at school that made them feel scared for their safety, doubling to 30% for 11–18-year-olds.

Last week, Girlguiding Advocate Kenza, 16, Advocate alumna Lucy, 18, and Girlguiding North East youth panel members Elisha, 19, and Gracie, 18, met with the Mayor to discuss the impact sexism and misogyny is having on girls and young women’s lives, and what she is doing to tackle violence against women and girls.

Signing Girlguiding’s ‘Commitment to girls’ reflects Tracy’s dedication to combatting gender-based violence and ensuring girls’ voices are part of the solution. Keeping girls and women safe is one of the Mayor’s top priorities. The Mayor continues to lead the way in changing narratives for women and girls and has helped orchestrate a countywide ‘Reclaim the Night’ event, set up a dedicated Women’s Safety Unit to reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG), launched her #TellTracy initiative which crowdsourced ideas for combating serious violence, and led the ‘Just Don’t’ campaign encouraging men and boys to be allies and stand up to harassment.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

“It’s fantastic to see our Girlguiding members speaking out and leading the way on these incredibly important issues. It’s appalling, however, that girls still need to go to such drastic lengths to protect themselves from harm- they deserve better, and together we must change their experience. It’s why here in West Yorkshire, we have created our unique Women’s Safety Unit and a dedicated Safer Travel Team, helping to turn the tide on misogyny and sexism.”

Felicity Oswald OBE, Girlguiding CEO said:

"We’re delighted to have the Mayor’s support. Girls are carrying the burden of misogyny every day, with their confidence suffering and their freedoms limited by the need to protect themselves from harassment.

“Girls today are sadly not only having to continue doing the same things women before them always have to stay safe - such as changing what they wear or clutching keys in their hands, they're also having to deal with online harms and adapt in new ways. We owe it to girls to do more to keep them safe, help them realise their ambitions and change the world"

Girlguiding is calling on decision makers at every level to sign Girlguiding’s ‘Commitment to girls’ to show there’s no place for misogyny in the area they represent.