Woman harassed and beeped at by catcallers reports their untaxed van to DVLA

A woman who was catcalled by two men as she waited to cross a busy road said she was left feeling confused and scared.

At first Aneesa, 25, thought the van driver was beeping because of a problem with traffic, but was left shocked when she realised he was targeting her and her younger sister.

Despite the distress of being jeered at while walking on a Cardiff street earlier this month, she was determined to stand her ground, and started filming it.

Aneesa posted footage on social media and plans to report the driver and his passenger to the police. After discovering the vehicle was untaxed, she has also reported them to the DVLA.

"There was just this incessant beeping," she said.

"It had to have been about eight or nine times and that's when I looked at my sister and she goes, 'no, they're beeping at us'.

"It was quite scary because he was aggressive with it. They know you don't like it and they blatantly do not care."

When it dawned on the teacher what was happening in broad daylight and in front of other motorists and pedestrians, her initial feeling was of disbelief.

It is a criminal offence in the UK to harass somebody on the street because of their sex.

Despite this, more than a third of women have reported being targeted by catcallers, and charity ActionAid called it part of "a spectrum of violence against women and girls" that stops them reaching their potential.

Welsh Women's Aid called for "immediate and sustained action to shift cultural attitudes".

However, last year, a Sound Cymru survey of 500 men in Wales showed 30% of respondents considered catcalling, the act of making a threatening or harassing remark at a person publicly, not to be harmful.

"Deep down, we all know that you're not getting someone's number that way. It's completely about intimidation," Aneesa added.

"Unfortunately, it's quite normal."

The incident happened while she was crossing the busy three-lane Newport Road on 15 April.

Aneesa, who is originally from Canada, was with her 23-year-old sister who was visiting her in Wales' capital.

She said that because her younger sibling was with her and the incident lasted "so long" - she estimates several minutes - she instinctively reacted.

"It adds another layer to it, when you're protecting someone you love," Aneesa added.

She took her mobile phone out and started filming.

While she wasn't able to capture one of the men pointing his middle finger at her sister, she did manage to record the driver opening the door and shouting at them.

At this point, she said: "We laughed because he had admitted to what he was doing and I was filming.

"Usually you leave a situation after being catcalled kind of down.

"But this time it felt like there was some kind of accountability."

The fact the men had done it from an untaxed vehicle was also "the cherry on the top" of what had been a traumatic experience, she added.

It left both women scared and fearing for their safety, with Aneesa's sister subsequently cancelling a solo trip to Edinburgh.

But Aneesa, who plays with an all-male ice hockey team, said she had received a lot of support from teammates.

However, it's not the first time unwanted attention has turned nasty and she's been sworn at, often by men being egged on by friends.

"I feel anger because it happens so frequently... I feel a little tired," she said.

The video she posted online gained support from women sharing their experiences and praising her for speaking out.

One commented: "I can't fathom why they think we like this?"

Catcalling is considered a form of public sexual harassment that involves unwanted attention.

This can include shouts, whistles, lewd comments, or gestures directed at someone, typically in public spaces.

It is something women runners have reported, and North Wales Police officers joined a group earlier this year to make them feel safer.

Harassment on the street became a criminal offence on 1 April this year, and carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

A 2022 Office for National Statistics survey found more than one third of women (38%) aged 16 to 34 had experienced catcalling in the previous 12 months.

It also noted these were more likely to feel unsafe when walking alone and using public transport.

The charity ActionAid said: "Many change their clothes, or routes to work, to try to avoid it [catcalling].

"It can prevent them from working, from socialising, from learning, and from living with freedom and dignity."

Welsh Women's Aid said sexual harassment remained a "pervasive issue across the UK, and Wales is no exception".

A report it published last year found 92% of those surveyed had experienced some form of public sexual harassment and the impacts of this were significant and long-lasting.

"The urgency of this issue demands immediate and sustained action to shift cultural attitudes and build a society where everyone can navigate public spaces without fear and where there is no grey area for sexual harassment," Welsh Women's Aid said.

South Wales Police said: "Everyone deserves to be and feel safe and enjoy our public spaces, fear free.

"Catcalling is now a specific criminal offence and it is up to individuals to reflect on and address their own behaviours or they do face being prosecuted.

"We urge anyone who experiences harassment or intimidation to report any concerns to the police so we can put an end to this behaviour."

The DVLA said it could not comment on individual records but its online checker confirmed the van being driven was untaxed.