Police Scotland have launched their new ‘ThatGuy’ campaign in a bid to encourage young men to step in and speak to their friends if they see them acting inappropriately towards women.
The campaign will run for six weeks across social media channels and through a podcast series and comes amidst a rise in the number of sexual offences being reported to officers.
Police said they received nearly 7,600 reports of sexual crimes between April 1 and the end of September, a 3.2% increase compared with the same period the year before.
This figure includes 1,400 reported rapes, a rise of 19.5% on the same period the year before.
Some 1,829 of the reported offences, including 550 of the rapes, were alleged to have happened more than a year ago, with the remainder relating to the last 12 months.
Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Steve Johnson, lead for major crime and public protection at Police Scotland, said: “My hope is that increased reporting indicates increased confidence in victims coming forward, as we work with partners, to improve our response to reports of sexual crimes, which have a devastating impact on victims.
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“Women and girls should be able to live their lives free from all forms of violence, abuse, harassment and exploitation.
“We want to prevent sexual crime by tackling behaviours that demean, minimise and brutalise women.
“Prevention sits with all of us but men need to take responsibility for their behaviour and stop sexual offending before it starts.”
But what is the campaign and what are the aims of it?
What is the campaign?
It is a campaign from Police Scotland that aims to reduce rape, serious sexual assault and harassment by encouraging men to have frank conversations about male sexual entitlement.
It encourages men to make women feel safer and to be able to go about their lives without being harassed, assaulted or raped.
It uses the hashtag #DontBeThatGuy and encourages men to look at their own attitudes and behaviours whether its at home, at work or out with their friends.
The campaign also asks men to speak to their other male friends and relatives about any behaviour that could be deemed inappropriate.
The ThatGuy campaigns started in 2021 and have been deemed a success so far.
Who is the campaign aimed at?
The latest campaign is aimed at men between the ages of 18 and 35 and encourages them to reflect on their behaviour towards women.
It asks them to think about how they have acted in the past and if they have let behaviours of their friends slide because they were concerned about speaking up.
Where can you see the campaign?
The campaign is available to see on YouTube, with the video shared here.
There is also a ThatGuy podcast which is hosted by writer and broadcaster Alistair Heather, who appeared in the 2022 video advert. It features five episodes of conversations about the attitudes and behaviours that put women at risk of sexual violence and men at risk of offending.
It also explores topics such as football, social media and relationships to learn how men can make a positive difference by speaking up.
Tips given on how to speak to friends
On the ThatGuy website, it provides advice on how to speak to men and much more.
The first bit of advice on how to speak to their friends is a period of self-reflection and recognising whether you have said or done anything to make someone feel uncomfortable.
The second is to find the right time and not call them out in front of everyone, but do it by having a quiet word and that could be the best way to get through to them.
Thirdly, listen to women. They are more likely to have experienced harassment and abuse and men should listen to their experiences and learn how to improve behaviour.
You’re also encouraged to speak up when it matters and if you have concerns about how they will take it, then think whether you would want the advice given because most people would see it as an act of support.
For more, see that-guy.co.uk.
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