A powerful TikTok video laying bare the exhausting daily reality for women trying to avoid harassment has gone viral, triggering urgent calls for it to be broadcast as a national television advertisement.
The clip, which has amassed over 3 million views, starkly illustrates the constant vigilance and preventative actions women feel forced to take. It has ignited a fierce public debate about the epidemic of violence against women and girls, and why the responsibility for safety persistently falls on potential victims.
The comments section transformed into a rallying point for systemic change. One viewer demanded, "This should be an advert on national television," while another posed a poignant question: "You never hear: ‘Why can’t men have more self-control?’"
From Viral Outrage to Tangible Solutions
But how does society move beyond online outrage to implement real-world solutions? To understand how to tackle this violence at its source, we spoke to Amy Watson, founder of the social enterprise HASSL (Harassment Awareness & Safe Space Leaders).
Launched in October 2024, Watson's organisation has seen significant growth in its first year. She describes HASSL as having an ambitious, singular goal: tackling harassment at the root. "It’s about redirecting that responsibility away from women as individuals and onto society as a whole," Watson explains.
The organisation employs a three-pronged approach of training, technology, and education to target the causes of violence, not merely the symptoms. Watson argues the current model for women's safety is fundamentally flawed.
"There's just this constant expectation for women to do more and more things and we don't solve the problem; it just plasters over it," she says. "Then [perpetrators] just find more ways around it and we're just in this constant cycle."
The Scale of the Crisis and a Personal Catalyst
Watson frames the issue in stark terms. "This is an epidemic. It’s a huge problem. Violence against women and girls is universal across the world." For her, the core issue is male violence, and the only way to end it is to stop accepting it as inevitable.
"Every social issue should be tackled by prevention rather than dealing with it after," she states. The statistics underscore the urgency. A recent UN report found a woman or girl is killed by a family member every 10 minutes somewhere in the world.
In the UK, the Femicide Census records that one in five homicides are domestic, with 898 female victims in the last decade alone. Meanwhile, South Africa has declared gender-based violence a national disaster, where 15 women are killed daily.
Watson's drive stems from personal experience. She recounted an incident on a crowded train carriage where she felt a hand on her leg. "In that moment you want to think, oh, they've got it wrong... but he knows what he's doing," she shared. Despite being a confident person, she froze, shocked that in a confined space full of people, no one intervened or seemed to notice.
HASSL's Five-Stage Plan for Change
HASSL's mission extends beyond awareness-raising. It operates on a concrete five-stage plan designed to dismantle four identified root causes: systemic racism and misogyny, barriers to reporting, lack of awareness, and poor public space design.
"How can you make spaces safer rather than trying to make people keep themselves safe?" Watson asks. The group has completed Stage 1 (global surveys) and Stage 2 (workplace training focused on 'unlearning misogyny').
It is now deep in Stage 3, which involves global expansion, the viral "Impossible Reality" campaign, a new volunteer programme, and free online education resources. Future stages target education in schools (Stage 4) and developing new technology to revolutionise how crimes are reported (Stage 5).
The ultimate vision is for the HASSL logo to become a universally recognised symbol of safety, displayed on doors and windows worldwide. "Wherever you are in the world, you see that and you know that place has taken certain steps to make their physical environment safer," Watson says.
However, she is clear that this goal cannot be achieved by women alone. "I want men to be part of the conversation," she insists. "Everyone has to be involved to create a long and lasting solution."
