My daughter was on the bus home when a boy at her school began making rude gestures towards her.

Elodie told me he was egged on by his friends, who were all laughing about it. I was horrified when I heard about this – and that was just the start. 

She was just 12 when she first experienced public sexual harassment.  

Now aged 16, Elodie has told me something like this happens regularly, around once a month, and she worries about being harassed and humiliated almost every time she goes out. 

As her dad, this is heartbreaking to hear.

That’s why I’m incredibly pleased that the government has brought into force a law that sexual harassment in public will be considered a specific offence.

But my main concern is still raising awareness. Without this, harassment will still happen and the impact on the victim will still be felt.

I hope new laws like this can put these issues forefront in the minds of the public.

Before having a daughter, I admit I was completely oblivious to this problem.

Yes, I’d always felt some of the things I heard men say to girls and women were unacceptable. But what I see now really scares me – the nastiness and abusive comments are not ‘banter’, they’re controlling and hurtful. There is a real intention to cause harm behind these words. 

This Is Not Right

On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.

With the help of our partners at Women’s Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency.

You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk.

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So many men I speak to when discussing Elodie’s experiences, like friends and family members, are shocked when I tell them what is ‘acceptable’ within the law, like making sexually explicit comments or sexually propositioning someone in public.

They think about their wives and daughters, and cannot believe so much harmful behaviour is legal, particularly when these same behaviours are specifically banned in the workplace through the Equality Act. 

And what is more devastating is that Elodie is not alone. Research from Plan International UK found 75% of girls, some as young as 12, in the UK have experienced some form of public sexual harassment.

For some girls, this is a daily occurrence that affects their walk to school, where they exercise and where they spend time with their friends. Some have even avoided school altogether. 

I worry about Elodie experiencing public sexual harassment all the time: my fear is she’s at risk of assault, or even abduction, when walking alone. She shares my concern that a comment could quickly escalate. 

When Elodie is planning to go out, I have a real mental battle with myself. Should I raise the subject of staying safe and put this issue on the table, or leave it and hope nothing happens?

Elodie is a very level-headed young woman and I trust she is aware of the risks, so I don’t want to limit her life experiences by raising my own fears. But, of course, that doesn’t mean that I don’t sit and watch both the clock and the phone when she is away from home. 

My anxiety increases later in the day – evenings are particularly bad because I fear she could be assaulted after dark, and winter is worse again as everyone is bundled up and less aware of what’s going on around them.  

I also really worry when she’s on public transport. Anyone could sit next to her and touch her inappropriately or prevent her getting off at her stop, and my wife and I wouldn’t know until it’s too late. That fills me with dread and it’s so easy to see it happening.  

We often pick Elodie up when she’s been out and always check she doesn’t walk home on her own. We’ve also all agreed to use an app on her phone so we can check where she is.

But it’s a tough balancing act – she’s a young woman and we want to give her freedom. We don’t want her to feel she’s being watched all the time by her parents, and we also don’t want to worry ourselves silly as that isn’t healthy for us or Elodie. 

Despite my fears, I try my best to reassure my daughter. Until today, there was no single piece of legislation to protect girls and women from public sexual harassment. 

It was a law that my Elodie had a part in, and I’m so proud of my daughter and the fact she has been involved in something that will make such an important difference to girls across the country. She feels empowered by how her hard work and commitment to this issue is starting to pay off. 

. We need to do everything we can to help create a society where this kind of behaviour is seen by everyone for what it is: harmful and unacceptable.

As parents, we have a crucial role to play in educating both boys and girls that this kind of behaviour, far from being harmless or even a way of complimenting a girl, is always wrong. 

Men also need to model good behaviour for their sons and grandsons, as well as calling out friends or colleagues if they see them sexually harassing someone.

This has really changed how I behave when I’m out too: I’ll often try to walk in front of a woman so she can see me, instead of hearing me behind her and potentially worrying about who is there. 

No-one should feel uncomfortable going about their daily life and the long-term psychological impact on girls is severe, let alone any physical threats they may also face. All I want is for Elodie – and all girls in the UK – to feel safe. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. 

A version of this piece was published in April 2023

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

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“These stronger school outcomes do not automatically translate into equal outcomes later in life”

Why don’t girls’ higher grades appear to lead to better pay?

Indian chess star Koneru Humpy is set to pull out of the Women’s Candidates 2026, but the prestigious Fide Candidates 2026 and the women’s tournament will go ahead as planned from 28 March in Cyprus, despite a recent drone attack on a British air base, the CEO of the chess global body – CEO Emil Sutovsky – has confirmed.

While Cyprus was picked as a venue for Fide Candidates 2026 last November, the situation has changed rapidly after the USA and Israel launched attacks on Iran. On 1 March, a British air base was hit by a drone. While European warships and Turkish fighter jets are guarding the Mediterranean island, there have been serious question marks over whether it should be hosting the Candidates, which will decide the next challenger for the World Chess Championships.

Fide says Candidates 2026 will be played in Cyprus

Speaking to ChessBase India, Fide CEO Emil Sutovsky has clarified that Cyprus is not involved in war, hence there are no plans to change the venue for the tournament.

“Our plans have not changed. We are in the final stages of preparing the Candidates’ Tournament. Of course, we are monitoring the situation. Cyprus is not too far from, let’s say, the war zone or conflict zone, but at the same time, it is not directly involved in any way and is not in a state of war,” Sutovsky said.

“There is no emergency situation or anything like that. Of course, about ten days ago there were some worrying news, but since then the situation has appeared quite calm.

“But we are, of course, not just hoping that nothing will happen. We are constantly monitoring the situation and also staying in contact with the state authorities who are assisting us with everything related to the tournament.”

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Sutovsky added that tournament postponement or venue change is possible, but that would only happen if the situation worsens from here.

“We are considering various scenarios, even the most unlikely ones. But we firmly believe that the current situation provides no grounds or reasonable reasons to postpone the date or move the tournament from Cyprus.

“Could something happen? Possibly. But at the moment, we don’t see anything even remotely dangerous enough to consider moving it.”

Koneru Humpy slams Fide over lack of action

Meanwhile, Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy, who is the third Indian in the Women’s Candidates along with Divya Deshmukh and R Vaishali, is unlikely to participate in the Cyprus tournament, considering the tension in West Asia.

“It just doesn’t make any sense. It’s dangerous to travel anywhere near West Asia at this point when there’s so much tension and uncertainty,” Koneru Humpy told Hindustan Times. “The war started around a fortnight ago, it’s still ongoing and the tournament is less than two weeks away. I don’t think any official body would dare host an event in the region at this point.”

Humpy also slammed Fide for sticking with the pre-decided calendar despite a war breaking out in West Asia.

“From an organisational point of view, it’s just not the right call. It’s one of the most crucial tournaments and you have just 16 top players (combining Open and Women) to think of, why not look at alternatives and different dates? As someone who’s spent decades in chess, I thought I should speak up. Irrespective of whether you’re a champion or not if you can’t speak up when the situation so demands, it means that you’ve learnt nothing from sport.”

For the unversed, R Praggnanandhaa is the only Indian Grandmaster in the Fide Candidates 2026. The winner will face world champion D Gukesh in the World Chess Championship.

Welcome to How I Do It, the series in which we give you a seven-day sneak peek into the sex life of a stranger.

This week, we hear from Tammy*, a 43-year-old working in the media, who met her now-boyfriend Charles* three months ago.

Enticed by his good looks, charm, and intelligence, Tammy quickly fell for the 65-year-old, but there’s just one problem: his ‘revolting’ nightshirt.

Charles’ refusal to part ways with his pyjama shirt is a major turn-off for Tammy, and it’s causing her to question the relationship.

‘I have a healthy sex drive and in my last relationship my partner and I usually had sex twice a day,’ she says. ‘We both worked from home and we were always heading back to the bedroom.

‘However, with Charles, although I stay over three or four nights a week, we have not yet had sex.’

Tammy can see potential in Charles, but this lack of sex has left her feeling unhappy in her relationship. ‘It’s making me understand why people have affairs.’

Without further ado, here’s how Tammy got on this week…

The following sex diary is, as you might imagine, not safe for work.

I wake up influencer-orange from doing my tan the night before. After breakfast I go for a swim and have an everything shower. This takes about three hours and I spend the rest of the day doing my hair and make-up.

I work from home, so I answer the odd email, but I’m getting ready to spend the weekend with Charles. I want to look fabulous, so that’s my priority.

I arrive at his at 7pm, in an Uber he’s sent for me. We enjoy a G&T before heading next door for a soiree at his neighbour’s house. There are 12 of us, including a couple who’ve recently moved into the square.

The woman is pretty and when Charles meets her, he practically forgets who I am. He says: ‘This is…….’ Then there’s a long awkward silence where my name should be until I step in and introduce myself. I let it go.

Charles has an eye for pretty women and quite frankly I find it rude. 

As usual, I wake up by myself and open the bedroom door only to be hit by a fog of cigar smoke. Charles gets up at around 5am, so by this point he’s been smoking for over three hours.

I march about briskly opening windows as Charles complains about the cold, and I remind him that I didn’t choose to have a relationship with a smoker. He lied about his smoking on Hinge, as well as claiming he was 50(15 years younger than he actually is).

I suppose this explains his struggles with erectile dysfunction, although I’ve never brought it up with him, but funnily enough this is not the biggest barrier to us having sex.

The most insurmountable issue is that he comes to bed dressed like Wee Willie Winky. Yes, he actually wears a nightshirt. I did not even know they existed outside of the Dickens film that’s on at Christmas, but somehow Charles has located one, perhaps by robbing the grave of someone buried in the Edwardian era.

The one thing worse than seeing him walk into the bedroom wearing it, is seeing him sit about in it all morning. It revolts me and I can barely look at him until nearly 11am, when he finally has a shower and gets dressed.

When he’s in a nice shirt and chinos with a cashmere jumper, I do find him attractive, he’s a handsome man. He’s over 6ft with the sort of bone structure most usually seen in the society pages of Tatler.

Seeing him like this, I definitely would, so I slip his hand inside my bra, hoping to excite him. I’m not sure if his ED is affected by his drinking, so I try to ignite the spark before he has alcohol in his bloodstream.

Charles is a big drinker, at the weekend he’ll start drinking before midday.

My efforts at putting his hand on my breast lead nowhere as he tells me I’m in the way of the television. He’s watching Formula 1.

We open a bottle of wine with lunch, so there’s no chance now, but the motorsports must have jacked up his testosterone levels as he tells me he’ll give me ‘a damn good f***ing’. I wish he would.

It used to excite me when he said things like this, but seeing as he’s never done it, I no longer believe him. It’s like Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses saying: ‘This time next year we’ll be millionaires.’ Ironically, Charles is a millionaire, but I despair of ever again getting a good d**king.

Friends are coming over for lunch and Charles reminds me how much he likes it when I am affectionate towards him in front of other people.

I can’t even deal with dissecting this so I just say: ‘OK darling!’ I give him a little kiss and make a mental note to ramp up the PDA when the guests arrive.

I must do a good job because one of them says: ‘Awww! You guys are so cute!’

And actually, we are a good match in a lot of ways. 

As well as being well-educated, Charles has impeccable manners and he’s very thoughtful. He’s the kind of man who takes care of things and I feel like I’m in safe hands when I’m with him.

Plus, penetrative sex isn’t everything, and Charles did go down on me twice last night. I prefer this anyway. If I had to choose between penetrative sex and receiving oral, I would definitely choose receiving oral. I just wish he would do it more often.

I didn’t actually want it the second time – I was tired and I wanted to go to sleep. However, I think he felt a surge of male pride at making my legs shake as I orgasmed and he wanted to do it again for the applause. 

It’s gone 9pm by the time the last guest leaves. We’re both tired by then, but Charles loads the dishwasher and we watch a bit of Top Gun 2 on the telly.

Monday

I wake up and walk into the sitting room where Charles is chain-smoking his miniature cigars, dressed in his ancient artefact. It’s like he’s cosplaying a Jane Austen character.

I want to tell him: ‘The V&A called – the costume curator wants their 18th century exhibit back’, but I bite my tongue.

He announces: ‘I was rock hard last night! Rock hard!’

He sounds extremely proud of himself, but unfortunately his claim bears no relation to reality. What actually happened is that he poked his semi-flaccid penis at me in the night and I ignored him until he stopped bothering.

You might imagine I’d be pleased at the prospect of having sex, and perhaps even helped matters along. However, the image of his ‘Tiny Tim’ nudging a molehill in his nightshirt makes me queasy.

I hate the idea of him hitching up his nighty and there’s no way I am putting my hand up there. I just won’t do it. I know he’s naked underneath, only because I see his boxers on the bathroom floor, and I don’t know why he can’t wear those to bed instead. 

Charles is working from home today and he wants me to stay and work from his, but I tell him I can’t concentrate so he orders me an Uber. At home I unpack then tackle my inbox before doing yoga.

I’m so happy to be sleeping by myself in my own bed. I love showering then getting into a freshly changed bed, with crisp clean sheets.

Charles’ cleaner changes his bed on a Monday morning, and I typically stay with him on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, so his bed’s never freshly changed when I’m there.

But it’s the nightshirt that makes the bed manky. I hate it – the fact that it’s always the same grubby garment disgusts me.

My revulsion is skyrocketing, but picking my battles, I decide I might be more able to stomach him wearing a nightshirt if it’s new, and clean on, rather than a dirty old dishcloth that I wouldn’t even use on the floors.

If I buy him a stack of new ones, he can always wear a clean one to bed. But aside from getting in a time machine and traveling back to 1840, where would I even find nightshirts?

I put these thoughts aside as I have a celebrity to interview for a newspaper. I spend the morning prepping, and afterwards I go to the gym.

I’ve spent the day wracking my brains, and all I can think of is an Ebeneezer Scrooge halloween costume. I find loads of them online, modelled by unpleasant old men.

The costumes come in synthetic fabrics with a range of accessories including fake candles, night caps and walking sticks. Although this is an amusing bonus, I’m unwilling to subject myself to a polyester-clad bed partner. Surely there must be nightshirts in natural fibres?

I have a flash of inspiration and turn to a forum on Reddit, where there is indeed a thread on men’s nightshirts. The original poster has asked if anyone wears them so I sift through the replies.

These include: ‘I think that was five generations back from anyone alive today lol’ and ‘Good lord, honey, we weren’t pioneers.’

With no pointers from Reddit, I’ve hit a dead end. I think about this as I transcribe yesterday’s interview. It takes all day but I prefer to do it myself as I don’t trust AI transcription services. In the evening I go for a run and head to bed.

I bite the bullet and call Charles to let him know I’m looking for new nightshirts for him. ‘Why?!’ he snaps.

I want to tell him: ‘Because it’s disgusting!’. However, in an effort to help him understand, I say: ‘Well, you wouldn’t wear the same shirt to work each day, would you?’

‘I wash it,’ he declares. ‘How often?’ I ask, gently.

I know his answer of every other day sadly isn’t true. He just hangs it back up on a hook on the door, with the rip in the cuff confirming that it is indeed the same old rag that he wears night after night.

Wary of arguing, I let it drop, but he later WhatsApps me saying: ‘I’ve bought four for £16 on Amazon.’

This is a miracle. Charles has Amazon Prime so maybe they’ll even be there when I go over tomorrow. As unsavoury as it is seeing him come to bed looking like a relic from Victorian times, at least he won’t be marinating in the same filthy fabric each night.

I stay in this relationship because Charles has some amazing qualities, and we have a shared love for entertaining at lunches and suppers, but now, if I’m feeling less repulsed by his nightshirts, who knows what this could do for our sex life, too.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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1) Having a lower sex drive than their partner

2) Pain during penetrative sex

3) Not orgasming during partnered sex

4) Body image issues

5) Losing desire thanks to the mental load

6) Not putting their own pleasure first

So, uh, any advice?

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“These findings should concern anyone who cares about democracy”

The UK “is not immune” to this “backlash”

SAO PAULO (AP) — Pugapia and her daughters, Aiga and Babawru, lived for years as the only surviving members of the Akuntsu, an Indigenous people decimated by a government-backed push to develop parts of the Amazon rainforest. As they advanced in age without a child to carry on the line, many expected the Akuntsu to vanish when the women died.

That changed in December, when Babawru — the youngest of the three, in her 40s — gave birth to a boy. Akyp’s arrival brought hope not just for the Akuntsu line but also for efforts to protect the equally fragile rainforest.

“This child is not only a symbol of the resistance of the Akuntsu people, but also a source of hope for Indigenous peoples,” said Joenia Wapichana, president of Brazil’s Indigenous protection agency, known as Funai. “He represents how recognition, protection and the management of this land are extremely necessary.”

Protecting Indigenous territories is widely seen as one of the most effective ways to curb deforestation in the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest and a key regulator of global climate.

Researchers warn that continued forest loss could accelerate global warming. A 2022 analysis by MapBiomas, a network of nongovernmental groups tracking land use, found Indigenous territories in Brazil had lost just 1% of native vegetation over three decades, compared with 20% on private land nationwide.

In Rondonia state, where the Akuntsu dwell, about 40% of native forest has been cleared, and what remains untouched is largely within conservation and Indigenous areas. The Akuntsu’s land stands out in satellite images as an island of forest surrounded by cattle pasture as well as soy and corn fields.

In the 1980s, deforestation pushed attacks in Rondonia

Rondonia’s deforestation traces back to a government-backed push to occupy the rainforest during Brazil’s military regime in the 1970s. Around the same time, an infrastructure program financed in part by the World Bank promoted domestic migration to the Amazon, including the paving of a highway across the state.

In the 1980s, Rondonia’s population more than doubled, according to census data. Settlers were promised land titles if they cleared the forest for agriculture and risked losing claims if Indigenous people were present, fueling violent attacks by hired gunmen on Indigenous groups such as the Akuntsu.

Funai made first contact with the Akuntsu in 1995, finding seven survivors. Experts believe they had numbered about 20 a decade earlier, when they were attacked by ranchers seeking to occupy the area.

Funai agents found evidence of the assault, and when they contacted the Akuntsu, the survivors recounted what happened. Some still bore gunshot wounds.

The last Akuntsu man died in 2017. Since then, Babawru lived with her mother, Pugapia, and Aiga, her sister. The women, whose ages aren’t known for certain, have chosen to remain isolated from the non-Indigenous world, showing little interest in it.

In 2006, Funai granted territorial protection to the Akuntsu, establishing the Rio Omere Indigenous Land, which they have since shared with the Kanoe people. The two groups, once enemies, began maintaining contact, usually mediated by officials. The relationship is complex, with cooperation but also cultural differences and language barriers.

The Associated Press requested a facilitated interview with the women through Funai, but the agency didn’t respond.

Amanda Villa, an anthropologist with the Observatory of Isolated Peoples, said Akuntsu women depend on Kanoe men for tasks considered masculine, such as hunting and clearing fields. The two groups have also exchanged spiritual knowledge — the current Kanoe spiritual leader, for example, learned from the late Akuntsu patriarch.

But the most consequential development for the future of the Akuntsu may have occurred last year, when Babawru became pregnant by a Kanoe man.

Linguist Carolina Aragon is the only outsider able to communicate with the three women after years of studying and documenting their language. She works closely with Funai, translating conversations almost daily through video calls.

Aragon also supported Babawru remotely during her labor and was with her during an ultrasound exam that confirmed the pregnancy.

Aragon said Babawru was stunned by the news. “She said, ‘How can I be pregnant?’” Aragon recalled. Babawru had always taken precautions to avoid becoming pregnant.

Social collapse shaped the Akuntsu’s choices

The surviving Akuntsu women had decided they would not become mothers. The decision was driven not only by the absence of other men in their community, but also by the belief that their world was disorganized — conditions they felt were not suitable for raising a child.

“You can trace this decision directly to the violent context they lived through,” said Villa, the anthropologist. “They have this somewhat catastrophic understanding.”

The Akuntsu believed they could not bring new life into a world without Akuntsu men who could not only perform but also teach tasks the group considers male responsibilities, such as hunting and shamanism.

“A breakdown of social relations that followed the genocide shaped their lives and deepened over the years. That does lead people to think — and rethink — the future,” Aragon said. “But the future can surprise everyone. A baby boy was born.”

Aragon said the women were embarking on a “new chapter,” choosing to welcome the child and adapt their traditions with support from the Kanoe and Funai. Villa said the fact that the newborn is a boy creates the possibility of restoring male roles like hunter.

Researchers and officials who have long worked with the three women understood that protecting the territory depended on the Akuntsu’s survival as a people. They sought to avoid a repeat of what happened to Tanaru, an Indigenous man who was discovered after living alone and without contact for decades.

After the discovery, authorities struggled to protect Tanaru’s territory. After he died in 2022, non-Indigenous groups began disputing the land. Late last year, the federal government finally secured the area, turning it into a protected conservation unit.

Funai’s Wapichana said Babawru’s child “is a hope that this next generation will indeed include an Indigenous person, an Akuntsu, ensuring the continuity of this people.”

Through years of careful work, Funai secured territorial protection for the Akuntsu and helped foster ties with the Kanoe. The agency also arranged spiritual support from an allied shaman, allowing the women to feel safe bringing new life into the world after decades of fear and loss.

The Akuntsu form emotional bonds with the forest and with the birds. Now, they are strengthening those bonds with a new human life in their world.

“What kind of relationship will this boy have with his own territory?” Aragon said. “I hope it will be the best possible, because he has everything he needs there.”

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The 2026 Winter Olympics are going on in full swing in Milan and Cortina as the best of athletes are competing hard to collect medals and memories. One such wholesome moment came during the final of the women’s snowboard halfpipe event.

USA’s South Korean-origin athlete, Chloe Kim, the two-time defending champion of the event, seemed set to earn her third straight gold. In competition was also a 17-year-old South Korean Choi Ga-on.

Choi did not have the best of starts to the event but ultimately emerged as the shock winner to dethrone Chloe. As Choi won the event, Chloe rushed towards the teenager and embraced her. She had mentored Choi and despite losing the gold could not stop herself from celebrating the victory. While Choi’s win was big, there was another big story unfolding at the same time.

Asian powers rise in snowboarding

Winter Olympics is a stronghold of the western countries. European nations like Switzerland, France, and Austria dominated many Winter Olympic disciplines throughout the history of these events. They had the money, they had the infrastructure and they had a cultural affinity towards snow sports as well.

However, things are changing now. Not just did a South Korean athlete and another one of origins in South Korea won the snowboarding gold and silver medals, the bronze to went to an Asian country. Japan’s Mitsuki Ono clinched the bronze, to mark the first time in history that an all-Asian podium had been achieved in women’s snowboarding halfpipe in Winter Olympics history.

After years of playing catch-up, these East Asian powers are now rising rapidly. South Korea, Japan, China, and the Asian diaspora in western countries is now challenging old hierarchies of winter sports.

With more and more Asians at the podium leading the charge, expect more of them to join these sports back home. This will further boost Asian efforts in snow sports and soon other countries too will join in. The power dynamics in winter sports are being challenged and it helps the entire winter sports ecosystem if these sports go global.