Nehanda Ferguson, a busker who performs across the West Midlands including Rugeley, Lichfield and Walsall, has spoken about experiencing daily harassment while singing on high streets.
Ferguson, who has been busking for seven years, says she "spreads happiness" through her performances but faces unwanted sexual innuendo, comments on her appearance, and other forms of harassment that make her "skin crawl with violation".
Pattern of harassment
On different occasions, Ferguson has experienced men rummaging through her handbag, holding her in a headlock, persistently asking her to stay in a hotel, and being filmed while verbally objectified.
A recent incident in Coventry, where three men approached her and made lewd comments, affected her clothing choices. She began wearing jeans in summer while singing — something she does not normally do because she likes to get a tan outside.
Ferguson said she had previously put "not so nice experiences" behind her, but after a run of negative attention felt she had been "tipped over the edge".
Using social media as safety tool
To deter would-be troublemakers, Ferguson now live streams her performances on TikTok. She said this has become crucial to staying safe in public, as it can capture inappropriate behaviour and allow her followers to alert help if needed.
Videos of Ferguson directly confronting men while singing have thousands of views. She has more than 100,000 followers on social media.
Calling out harassment
"I can sweep [harassment] under the carpet and keep pretending that it doesn't happen all that often and I'm fine, but in actual fact it happens daily," Ferguson said.
She added that she wanted to "call it out for the way it makes me feel, which is violated" and stressed it was her responsibility to "step up" and show young girls that unwanted sexual attention was not acceptable.
Ferguson said she had seen a "noticeable upturn" of people holding others accountable online for inappropriate behaviour — actions which gave her "goosebumps".
She encouraged others subjected to harassment to "call it out", but stressed this should only be done if it was "safe to do so" and people felt comfortable in taking action.
Ferguson also performs in Walsall and further afield in the East Midlands, including Nottingham and Derby. She regularly gets recognised in the street by music fans.