The Sarah Everard case leads to an outpouring of women sharing stories of abuse on British streets

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Many have also commented on the usual precautions they take to try to stay safe when walking alone – expressing anger and frustration that this seems necessary.

The fact that a serving Metropolitan Police officer has been arrested on suspicion of the kidnapping and murder of Everard has only added to the sense of threat. Police looking for Everard, who was last seen March 3 in Clapham, London, found some appear to be human remains in the woods in Kent, police confirmed late on Wednesday.

But, she added, “I fully understand that despite this, women in London and the general public – especially those in the area where Sarah was missing – are going to be concerned and may be afraid.”

The police who conducted door-to-door investigations into the case reportedly warned women not to go out alone, leading some to say that this approach only fuels the culture of accusing victims.

The deluge of social media responses provides ample evidence of women’s concerns and testifies to the toll that lifelong vigilance has on women’s well-being.

From taking a longer route home to avoid dimly lit streets to considering the possible need to flee when dressing for a night out, women constantly conduct risk assessments when walking alone, especially at night.

“For all those women who text their friends to let them know they’ve got home safely, who wear flat shoes at night so they can run when they need to, who have keys in their hands ready to use, it’s not your fault,” tweeted Anna Yearley, joint executive director of legal action NGO Reprieve. ‘It never is. Many of us have stories of abuse. It’s never our fault. ‘

Another Twitter user, Linda Redford, replied, “This is a constant concern for women and girls of all ages; I am 74 years old and still go through the mental risk assessment every time I go out at night alone, but not exclusively. Go. I taught the same to my daughters. Fear passed from generation to generation from woman to girl. “

Television and radio host Shelagh Fogarty posted a list from sexual harassment cases from the age of 10 to fifties, from attending school at home to being targeted by a stalker. ‘This is what women have to deal with. This and worse. Throughout our life. It’s shit. It’s exhausting. It’s scary. It has to stop, ”she said.

Other women responded with their own equally depressing lists. After she posted hers, Eleanor Johnston, a clinical psychologist, added: “My early experiences are certainly not uncommon. It’s important to remember that ‘men’ are not inherently dangerous! Some men are. Like this conversation. help all of us start a conversation about calling out this behavior, we would all feel a lot safer. “

A hand-out image of Sarah Everard walking to her home in Brixton when she went missing.

Sexual harassment

While cases of kidnapping are relatively rare in the UK, new polls show that sexual harassment and abuse are not.

More than 70% of women surveyed by UN Women UK said they had experienced sexual harassment in public places. That figure rose to 97% among women ages 18 to 24, polls showed. The data, released Wednesday, comes from a YouGov survey of more than 1,000 women commissioned by UN Women UK in January 2021.

The organization’s survey also suggested that women have little faith in public institutions to handle the situation.

“Only 4% of women told us they had reported the harassment cases to an official organization. 45% of women said they did not believe reporting would help change anything,” said UN Women UK.

One in four women in the UK will experience domestic violence in their lifetime and one in five women will experience sexual violence, according to an article published by the Home Office in 2019.
Of course, women are not the only ones who feel threatened on the street. And according to the annual Crime Survey for England and Wales, published by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), men are more likely to be victims of violent crimes involving strangers and acquaintances than women.
But government data shows that men are much more likely to be prosecuted for acts of violence against both women and men. In the three-year period ending March 2020, the vast majority of suspects convicted of manslaughter were men – 93% of the total, according to a US homicide report.

‘No woman finds this shocking’

The deluge on social media in relation to the Everard case speaks volumes.

While some expressed frustration at persistently accusing victims, others stressed how, again, women were urged to change their behavior in order to stay safe, rather than putting the job on men.

Georgia Ladbury, an infectious disease epidemiologist and a candidate for the Women’s Equality Party in the upcoming London elections, tweeted Tuesday: “Women in my area have been advised” not to go out alone “while Sarah Everard’s disappearance is being investigated. Shall we urge men not to go out? Say a curfew at nightfall?

“Perhaps we would see more done in the field of street safety if it were men who would lose their freedoms, not women.”

In another tweet on Thursday, she added, “No woman finds this shocking. Because we are constantly working out plans and strategies on how to prioritize our safety. Meanwhile, men are just living their lives and having carefree conversations. The idea of ​​that. kind of freedom. is intoxicating to me. “

Police vehicles parked Thursday near Ashford in Kent after the discovery of human remains in the hunt for missing Sarah Everard.
Writer Caitlin Moran made a similar point. “Being a woman: my ‘outdoor day’ ends at sunset. If I haven’t walked / jogged the dog yet, I can’t”, she says tweeted“In winter, this often means choosing between working out and working. Today I had to stop working at 4am to exercise. My husband worked until 6am and is now free to run.”
Writer and columnist Sarah Ditum tweeted about “ men’s disgust at the idea of ​​a men’s clock, ” adding, “ No one should allow their liberties to be curtailed by the violence of a minority, except that women continually curtail our freedoms because of the violence of a minority of men – but freedoms aren’t for women, are they? ‘

Call to action

Men have also taken part in the conversation on Twitter, much in positive ways.

a tweet, by Stuart Edwards, has been widely shared. “I live less than five minutes from where Sarah Everard was reported missing. Everyone is very alert. Aside from giving as much space as possible in quieter streets and keeping the face visible, there is something else men can reasonably do. to reduce the anxiety / fear factor? ” he asked.

Women responded with appreciation that the question had been asked and offered practical suggestions, such as a man standing back or crossing the road to reassure a woman she was not being followed, or offering to walk home with a friend.

Meanwhile, opposition Labor lawmaker Jess Phillips called for tougher measures against those who commit crimes against women, noting that convictions for rape and prosecution of domestic violence had fallen last year.

“We are not strict against crimes against women and children committed by men,” she says tweeted“Women must be able to walk on the street without danger, fear and threat.”

Dick, London’s top police officer, said there would be “continued high levels of police patrols” in the south London area where Everard was last seen, acknowledging the impact of a police officer’s suspected involvement on confidence. from the audience.

“Sarah’s disappearance in these terrible and dire circumstances is every family’s worst nightmare,” she said.

“The news today that it was a Metropolitan Police officer arrested on suspicion of Sarah’s murder has sent waves of shock and anger through the public and throughout the Met.”

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