12:00, 18 May 2026
Words by Cheyanne Bryan, Editorial and Campaign Marketing Executive, London
Films of all lengths can be a beacon for driving impact, and the newest film from Our Streets Now brings much needed attention to the normalisation of public sexual harassment.
‘Smile!’ brings to light the awful common experience many girls — and women at a young age — experience with being heckled, catcalled or told to ‘Smile’ unsolicited. These are a shared occurrence for those that have experienced public sexual harassment which is described as unwelcome attention and sexual advances or intimidating behaviour that happens in all types of public spaces – in person and online.
Statistics from Plan International UK share that 1 in 3 girls experience public sexual harassment before they hit 13. This film follows a young girl of a similar age to highlight that this kind of experience isn’t uncommon for someone of this age, someone who is noticeably wearing a school uniform or someone who is visibly uncomfortable.
The word ‘smile’ should be associated with positivity and good memories, but unfortunately for others this can be flipped to carry a negative and anxiety-filled moment.
This short film is also part of a wider project from Our Streets Now which is a dedicated campaign to end public sexual harassment in the UK through cultural & legislative change. They are working on workshops to change the culture that allows public sexual harassment to continually be prevalant in our society by giving young people the skills to challenge this behaviour.
While public sexual harassment has now successfully been made a standalone crime through the amendment of the Public Act from April 2026, work still needs to be done. Support the work of Our Streets Now as they continue to campaign for tackling public sexual harassment.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Our Streets Now. A campaign organisation that is trying to end public sexual harassment in the UK. They deliver workshops to put a stop to the culture associated with it. Learn more here.
Plan International UK. This is a global children’s charity that fights to have all children around the world equal. Their work mainly highlights empowering girls in conflict areas, in sexual health and education. Discover their work here.
NO MORE. The NO MORE Foundation is dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence. Find out more here.
