Keeping women safe
A recent survey by UN Women published the week beginning 8 March 2021 has revealed that 97% of women aged from 18-24 in the UK have been sexually harassed in public places. It's a harrowing statistic. So, should women closet themselves away as night falls, treat every man as a potential threat, never risk dressing in a way that could be misconstrued as sexually provocative? That's no way to live and besides, not all attacks happen after dark. One recent suggestion, to curfew men after 6pm, is not a reasonable solution either. I'm guessing many women of a certain age have past experience of unpleasant; a hand on their leg or breast in a crowded place, a threatening look or comment, a feeling of being trapped. I certainly have. From walking into an office at my place of work and seeing pictures plastered on the walls which looked like gynie examinations, to having a black cab driver climb through the hatch to get at me, to being attacked walking home at night. Add in a few dodgy lifts home after nights out and it makes for some unnerving times.
