The safety of women

Sarah Everard disappeared on the 3rd of March in London when she was walking to her home that was 15 minutes away from where she left. Her body was found on the 10th of march in woodland and the suspect was a policeman that was later charged with her murder. This event sparked a conversation worldwide about the safety of women around the world. Women around the world have started sharing their experiences regarding harassment on social media. According to U.N women (https://www.unwomenuk.org/safe-spaces-now) study, 97 percent of women have experienced harassment in public spaces. It seems like harassment of women is being normalized and something needs to be fixed quickly. Women feel unsafe walking alone regardless of the time of the day. Additionally, the death of Sarah Everard has made many women vary in trusting the authority. This has resulted in women losing hope and feeling trapped. There have been protests in the UK regarding this case and the hashtag #reclaimthestreets have been used to spread the news. Fortunately, the prime minister of the UK has promised to increase CCTVs around the country, add more lights and patrols to streets. However, the problem is much bigger and needs to be addressed worldwide.

Education plays a huge role and instead of pointing the blame on certain people, we need to stand together and tackle the issue. By tackling this problem, we can avoid the life-long psychological and emotional trauma of women. Schools and universities need to take more action and educate their students. It would also be ideal if there were more safe spaces for women. For example, in Finland as big of a country as it is, each region does not have a women’s only shelter. People as a collective should aim to create these places for women. 

Text and pictures by Marian Keinan