In todays currently climate of men choosing to spike, kill and assault women. They must take precautions.
They are told to be careful, don’t go out alone after dark, don’t walk with your headphones in, wear bright clothing so you can be spotted amongst a crowd and don’t wear revealing outfits. Instead of starting at the source of the problem, the men, it’s women who must take measures to ensure their safety.
The Duchess of Cornwall made a statement, campaigning to lift shame and stigma surrounding violence against women. She encouraged that we need to “support survivors to be shameless” before stating that “rapists are not born, they are constructed.” According to the Office for National Statics, in the year of March 2020 its estimated that 1.6 million adults in England and Wales, ages 16-74 experienced sexual assault by rape or penetration including attempts. From March 2017 to March 2020 stats show that victims reported the perpetrators were 98% male.
The result of an assault can have huge implications of the victims. 63% of women confessed they suffered mental and emotional problems after their assault, whilst a saddening 10% of women assaulted admitted that they had attempted suicide.
The Duchesses comments didn’t come long after Green Party Baroness Jess Jones told the House of Lords, that there should be a 6pm curfew for all men. Stating it would “make women a lot safer, and discrimination of all kinds would be lessened” after the shocking case of Sarah Everard came to light.
This case brought talk about whether women should be allowed to carry self-defence weapons, the main one being pepper spray. Commonly used by police to detain aggressive arrestees. Pepper spray is illegal in the UK and is classed as a section 5 weapon, meaning it carries the same legal penalties as carrying a gun does. However, pepper spray is legal in multiple countries with a licence including Italy, Spain, and France. Should it be legal with a licence in the UK for women?
Megan, a resident of Finsbury Park in London, whose name has been changed upon request, was approached by police whilst out in the local area. “They approached me with a survey asking what I think the MET police could do to make women feel safer in the local area.” Megan stated that she suggested more police patrolling the street after dark including more female officers. Megan continued, “They asked me if there’s anything they can add to the area to make women feel safer. I just said extra street lighting as some areas that I walk in are almost pitch black at night.” Megan admitted she has seen more police patrolling the area however not as often as she would like, “I see them more in the day than at night.”
Location apps have become a popular form of safety amongst friends and families.
Life 360 is a safety location app that allows you to have a ‘circle’ in which you, your friends or your family can keep up to date on each other location 24/7. You must be invited to a circle using a unique code; therefore, the location will not be seen by anyone not in your circle.
The app allows you to add specific locations that are used often amongst your group, for example home or school. In doing this you will be notified when a member of your circle has arrived and left this destination along with the exact time.
It tracks your movement so your group can watch you as you move, whilst also tracking you in a moving vehicle, notifying your group with the number of miles you have travelled. This tracking allows your circle to notice if there is anything out of the ordinary with your location or how far you have travelled in a vehicle at a specific time.
The right image shows what the home page of the app looks, you can see the other members of your circle, their locations and how long they have been there. (Location, names and personal images have been hidden upon request).
The app notifies you when a circle members phone charge is low, telling you to remind them to charge their phone. This allows you time to call them to ensure they are in a safe location if their phone dies or gives you time to make arrangements to meet them.
Along the with this the app also includes an alert button that you can trigger if you need help. This notifies your circle immediately.
Life 360 includes further features if you wish to upgrade to Life 360 Premium. Getting premium will alert you with a more detailed driving report such as aggressive driving or unsafe phone use, with a weekly summery of how your circle has been driving behind the wheel. It also gives you an extended history of all the places your circle has visited in the pasted 30 days, with timestamps. Premium offers 7 days free to trail this or is £3.99 per month.
Above shows the locations you can add to the app if there is multiple locations used often. The right image shows the alert button and also the option of upgrading to premium. (Names and personal images have been hidden upon request).