Female delivery drivers plagued with harassment by men who ‘open doors naked’

A woman was left shaken after a man opened his door naked to her.

The woman, who was too scared to be named, was working as a food delivery driver when she was made to feel afraid, powerless and alone.

She froze in fear as a customer stood naked in the doorway in front of her, reported the Independent.

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The woman was left shaken by the encounter and said she felt especially vulnerable as a migrant living in the UK, so did not want to complain.

“I was very afraid because I felt powerless,” she added. “At the time I didn’t have a visa so I felt my hands were tied.”

Unfortunately, her experience is not an isolated one.

Fernanda Souza, who works for Deliveroo, Just Eat and UberEats, recalled an occasion when a man she was dropping off food to opened the door in his underwear.

The 32-year-old said: “I left the food on the doormat and he said I needed to come in and help feed him the food.

“It was obvious he didn’t need help. There were sexual connotations.

"I got really scared and ran off and got on my bike.”

But the advances and inappropriate behaviour don’t stop with customers, she said.

Ms Souza, who has lived in London for six years, says restaurant managers she encounters are “ruder” and more “aggressive” to the female delivery drivers.

“When you ask when the food is ready, they are more angry with women and less patient," she said.

“I sense many times that people are flirting with me but I put on an angry and serious face. Becoming unfriendly is a strategy.”

The delivery driver took part in a recent photography exhibition titled 'Who’s Behind Your Order?'.

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  Ring doorbells users could be breaking the law and possibly end up in court

Those involved in the project told of the sexual harassment, abuse and dangerous working conditions they encountered, with anecdotes involving violence, burglary and sexual harassment.

Maritza Castillo Calle, vice president of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), said: “For many women in the gig economy, going to work each day is not just physically demanding, but dangerous.

“Working alone in public-facing jobs with a lack of rights means female couriers and drivers are often forced into vulnerable situations with elevated risks of harassment and abuse. Platform apps' total indifference to these heightened risks leaves female workers with zero protections or support.”

A survey by UN Women found 97% of young women in the UK said they had been sexually harassed, while 80% reported experiencing sexual harassment in public spaces.

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