Youth voices lead to lasting change in fight against Unwanted Sexual Behaviour on nation's railways

A campaign led by the Bradford City FC Community Foundation's Peer Action Collective team has resulted in real change following the launch of a campaign film produced alongside Northern Rail, in conjunction with British Transport Police, highlighting the issue of unwanted sexual behaviour (USB) on the nation's railways.

The film featured young people the Foundation continues to work with, including interviews, testimonials, guidance and advice on how to prevent and respond to unwanted sexual behaviour. It sought to give passengers the resources and confidence to report and deter USB on trains.

Watch the film here:

Those involved in the making of the film visited the UK Parliament to raise awareness of the issue among policymakers and canvas support, and to ensure it was freely accessible.

There, our PAC team, including Peer Researchers and Peer Mentors, met with MPs, including Kim Leadbeater MP, and shared their thoughts and concerns about what more could be done. They also held roundtable discussions with regional and national transport companies, maintaining a constant dialogue to both tackle the issue of unwanted sexual behaviour, and to make support services freely accessible.

These meetings with MPs, stakeholders and transport companies were led by the young people at the heart of the campaign, as they shared their concerns, and suggested solutions by which to tackle issues of accessibility to the support services they signposted.

On the back of their efforts, the team were informed that customers of Three UK, O2, EE and Vodafone can now contact British Transport Police via text free of charge, making the reporting of USB accessible to all who travel on the network.

Pavan Sembi, the Foundation's Head of PAC who oversees the young people involved in the project, said: "We are seeing the direct impact of the work done by young people, for young people. I am proud of everything my team has achieved, how they are using their voices to drive impactful social action, and the growth they all continue to display in their PAC journeys. I cannot wait to see the results of where they next drive change, using the power of their voices, in Bradford, Yorkshire and the nation."

Kimia Modaressi Chahardehi, PAC Peer Researcher and Filmmaker, who made the campaign film, said: "I have produced numerous films focused on crucial issues and the changes needed to make the world a better place, and am delighted to see the impact our USB campaign has had. The opportunity to work with some of the people from the previous PAC cohort on a film addressing unwanted sexual behaviour deeply inspired me to join their team. PAC’s active community engagement and commitment to making positive impacts continues to resonate with me. After spending years behind the camera, I felt it was time to step forward, embrace this opportunity, and contribute directly to creating meaningful change with young people — because we are the next generation."

Peter Walker, Project Manager at the EFL, said: "This outcome really highlights the importance of youth voice, and it's great to see young people have constructively engaged with decisions-makers about the issues they face, and they have been listened to. It's a great success story, and shows that stakeholders and decision makers should be engaging in meaningful dialogue with young people where possible."

Our PAC team and the Foundation would like to thank Northern Rail, Network Rail and British Transport Police, alongside all of our partners and funders, who supported the making of the film, and strived to tackle the issue with us.

Our PAC team are well on their way with their next major campaign, which aims to tackle barriers to positive activities for young people. They have already met with local and national stakeholders and transport companies, interviewed hundreds of young people from across the Bradford region to get to the root of the issue of access to positive activities, and are in the process of generating their next campaign film.

Watch an introduction to Tackling Barriers to Positive Engagement:

The Peer Action Collective is a £12.7 million programme, which aims to give young people the chance to make their communities safer, fairer places to live. It is funded by the Youth Endowment Fund, the #iwill Fund (a joint investment between The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) and the Co-op group.

Bradford City FC Community Foundation, along with The Tigers Trust (Hull City AFC’s official charity) deliver the Peer Action Collective within the Yorkshire region using the power of the Club badge, with the support from the English Football League’s charitable arm, EFL in the Community.