I’m 20 and I’ve already lost count of how many times I’ve been sexually harassed

A new poll has painted a shocking picture of the abuses young women experience every day. But it’s no surprise to Isabelle Joshi who works in a busy bar…

It’s got worse – particularly while working in a bustling, busy bar in central London (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

As a 20-year-old who works in a bar, I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been sexually harassed.

So the results of a new poll, which says that 44 per cent of girls my age don’t feel safe walking on the streets alone – and that 27 per cent have experienced sexual harassment – don’t surprise me in the slightest.

The first time I got unwanted attention was when I was just 11 years old. Walking home from school in my uniform, very clearly a school-aged child, I was catcalled by a group of older men. The sense of intimidation that I felt then has not abated in the years since then – far from it.