Nine in ten women in Ireland feel unsafe because of their gender and more than one third have experienced physical harassment in public.

That’s according to a survey carried out by Plan International Ireland.

The survey also found that women who reported having been sexually harassed say it happens most frequently in bars followed by public streets.

Six in ten women do not feel safe taking the bus and half of women say they have experienced verbal abuse in public.

Women also reported being forced to modify their behaviour because they feel unsafe with almost three quarters saying they jog or walk faster as a safety precaution at night.

Nearly half (47%) say they take a different route or will even walk longer distances in order to feel safer.

Paul O’Brien, CEO of Plan International Ireland and Niamh Dunne, a DCU student, joined Matt Cooper on The Last Word to discuss how harassment and fear can play a part in daily life for young women in Ireland.

You can catch the chat in full by pressing the play button on the image at the top of this page.