Are women afraid to date up6/25/2023 It was delivered as training to more than 1,000 staff in a construction company in Ireland, being well-received by the male-dominated workforce. ![]() It has been added to the school curriculum in Guernsey. I have presented the campaign in school assemblies, to government committees, to Bailiwick Law Enforcement, at a public vigil, to local community groups and on global webinars. Time after time, I have had conversations which have highlighted the disconnect between some men believing women have no reason to be afraid, and yet having concerns that their female relatives/friends would be unsafe walking alone.ĭesperate to do something, anything, to help bridge the gap and bring the genders together on the issue, I launched the BE LADS campaign, with "BE LADS" being an acronym for simple steps men could take to let women know that they are not threats. Statistically (gov.uk sexual harassment survey), the biggest threat to a woman walking alone, is a man. I would listen to men tell me that women don’t need to be afraid, then, in the very next breath, say that they wouldn’t let their sister/girlfriend/wife/mother walk home alone.įor any man who has ever told a woman to “get home safe”, I pose the question: do you ever think about why she wouldn’t? Aside from accidents, what are you imagining would be a reason why a woman may not get home safe? I saw this conversation play out on social media and, shortly after, in conversations with male colleagues, friends, relatives and peers. That all women were accusing all men of being legitimate threats. The men sharing the hashtag seemed to be under the impression that all women believed that all men are kidnappers, rapists and murderers. Men felt as though they were being vilified. In the wake of Sarah’s murder, women took to social media to share their experiences of being afraid to walk alone, with one twitter user commenting: “The saddest thing about stories of women feeling unsafe walking alone, is that every woman has one.” #notallmenĪs more and more women started sharing their experiences in the wake of a case which irrefutably validated their fears, the hashtag “notallmen” started trending. While the answer may seem simple, (based on a mountain of statistical evidence), it is often tossed like a grenade into a minefield of a gendered violence debate, exploding on impact while countless other inconvenient truths detonate around it. Zara Aleena was murdered by a stranger while she walked home alone in June 2022.įor women in particular, each of these cases has validated the question "why are women afraid to walk alone?". ![]() Ashling Murphy was murdered by a stranger while she jogged alone in January 2022. Bobbi-Anne McLeod was kidnapped and murdered by a stranger while she waited alone for a bus in November 2021. Sabina Nessa was murdered by a stranger while walked alone to meet a friend in September 2021. In the last year alone, there have been five high-profile cases of women being murdered by strangers as they walked alone in the UK. ![]() Sarah was certainly not the first and was, sadly, not the last woman who has been in danger simply by virtue of choosing to walk alone. She did what we all do, thinking it will be enough to keep us safe. She was dressed “appropriately”, she was in a well-lit area, a friend knew where she was, and she was in an area she knew. Sarah had followed all the unspoken rules that women follow in attempts to keep themselves safe when they are walking alone. Sarah’s story gained traction with the public, in particular with women, because Sarah had done everything “right”. Like many 20-something women, the tragic case of Sarah Everard, who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a stranger as she walked home in March 2021, struck a chord with me.
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