In a week when we started off by celebrating international women’s day and ended with Mother’s Day, it’s shocking to have witnessed some of the contradictions that have played out during the last week. One woman has been accused of lying about her mental health and another has been murdered and blamed for not taking the ‘right’ safety precautions that women should.
Let’s stop talking about what women should and shouldn’t do and start talking about what men can do to help make the streets a safer place for all women. Sarah Everard took all the so-called ‘right’ precautions women have to, she wore a bright raincoat, walked in a well-lit area and was on the phone to her boyfriend. This proves that it doesn’t matter how many precautions women take, they are still in danger of a man seeing an opportunity and taking it. The problem is not with what women wear, where they walk or if they flirt, the problem is with men and it is their job to resolve it. This doesn’t just mean being vigilant on the streets, it also means calling out your friends when you pick up on their inappropriate behaviour because in the long run you could stop an assault. Assault doesn’t just happen on the streets, just because you’re not a predator on the streets waiting for a victim doesn’t excuse you. If Sarah’s death has taught us anything, it’s that women are not safe on the streets as not only is it a police officer who is responsible, but a peaceful vigil became violent with male police officers holding down the peaceful females who attended the vigil. It’s scary enough out there for women, but now, it’s clear that we’re not even safe with the people who are supposed to protect us and yet we still have to listen to the argument ‘not all men’, which is frankly concerning to hear. If you are personally getting offended by the issues that have been brought to light, then you really need to question why as a man, it has because you are part of the problem. This shouldn’t be a taboo topic, and in order for change to happen we need to educate boys in and out of school, not just protect our daughters.
It’s sad that we as women, have to take these precautions just to avoid assault and yet are still at risk from it. At this time, we need to look out for each other and as women, all we can do is make sure that we all help each other to stay safe because at the very least we can rely on each other. Down below there are a list of apps we can all use to help us women stay safe. So until next Monday, stay safe, look out for each other and never stop fighting for what’s right, your death won’t be in vain Sarah Everard, RIP.
Comments