One third of young Australian women don’t feel they should be out in public places at night. Quite simply, they don’t think it’s safe.
Commissioned by Plan International Australia and Our Watch, a report called A Right to the Night was released this week, and it’s based on the responses of 600 women aged 15 to 19 from all corners of the nation.
A quarter of those questioned also didn’t think young women should travel on public transport alone. Ever.
Many are saying the findings are “shocking”, but I’m sad to admit that they didn’t surprise me one iota.
The fact is, some women, myself included, feel a sense of unease seep into their chests when daylight is over.
It’s something in the back of my mind every night as I walk the block from the bus stop to my house, removing my headphones from my ears and clutching my house keys in hand just in case.
Can you really blame me or the young women who feel strongly that their safety could be jeopardised when the sun sets and the street lights cast their glow onto the pavement?
In March this year, a group of women were celebrating a hen’s night out in Sydney. A witness told News Corp that two men made sexual comments to the group outside a fast food outlet.
“The women defended themselves and he said ‘if you don’t shut up I’ll punch you in the face,” the witness explained.
“He punched four to five girls in the head, holding them by the neck and punching them.”
In November 2013 a then 20-year-old woman was heading home in a taxi after a night out in Ringwood, Victoria. She sat in the front seat and was sexually assaulted by the driver. This week, her perpetrator was spared jail time due to the magistrate’s concerns over the long delays between the attack and charges being laid.
One of the defence counsel, Ben Mallick’s arguments was that “she could’ve avoided this incident happening by sitting in the back seat.”
Yes, as though her horrific ordeal was down to a poor and unfortunate choice of seating.
There are other tragic examples that have been tattooed onto the Australian woman’s psyche.
Jill Meagher, Masa Vukotic, Stephanie Scott.
Masa Vukotic, the 17 year old who was stabbed to death walking in a Melbourne park last March.
Stephanie Scott, the 26-year-old dedicated school teacher who was murdered last year when visiting her school out of hours, just one week before her wedding.
And of course, Jill Meagher, the bubbly 29 year old who was walking home from drinks with friends in Melbourne in 2012 when she was sexually assaulted and murdered.
Each time we learn of another woman being abused, assaulted or losing her life to a random or senseless act of violence, the advice is flung at us and it sticks like tar. This is despite the fact that, statistically, women are more likely to be attacked by someone we know than a stranger.
Text me when you get home safely, okay? Because otherwise, I might think something terrible’s happened to you.
Make sure you don’t talk on your phone walking around when it’s late. Because someone might creep up and attack you.
Don’t ever have your headphones in while walking alone at night. You won’t be able to hear an attacker approaching.
Image: iStock.
They’re the recommendations I’ve heard so many times that my key-holding, back-watching behaviour has become as second nature, as subconscious, as reaching for a jacket when I’m cold. And they only help to perpetuate the victim-blaming mindset that’s rife in our community.
In fact, the most disturbing finding revealed in the report was that seventeen per cent of the young women agreed that a girl wearing revealing clothing is partially responsible for unwanted attention or harassment.
"It's just so shocking and disappointing that a country like ours is still suffering from these sort of ideas, and this fear that's spreading for all the young women," 18 year old Grady-Mae Dixon told the ABC in reaction to the findings.
Image: iStock.
"When someone gets attacked, or a woman specifically, the question is: 'What was she wearing?' 'How did she act?' 'Was she drinking?' 'Cause she was asking for it if she was drinking."
The onus is on a woman to keep herself safe, to watch her back, ensure she’s not putting herself in a dangerous situation.
I’m not discounting the fact that many men also fall victim to horrible, unnecessary acts of violence, but the dialogue surrounding these attacks never hinges on what they were wearing, or why they were out alone at night. (Post continues after gallery.)
Mental health services in Australia
As Deputy Leader of the Opposition Tanya Plibersek said last year, when the murder of Stephanie Scott prompted calls for Australians to confront violence against women, we need stronger legal responses and “attitudinal changes” to ripple throughout our community if we're to see this fear dissipate.
"We need, from very early childhood, education in respectful relationships."
Until then, if you’re feeling fear, know that you’re not alone, know that you’re not “silly” for experiencing it. But also know that it needs to change.
Image: iStock. supplied.
Do you feel safe when you're out and about at night?
Top Comments
Fussing over who gets assaulted i.e. men as well as women, just dilutes the point. The point is that because of violent men, men AND women cannot access the street at night. The problem is violent men.
What to do about violent men?
The same question was raised in Israel during Golda Meir's time, when women were being raped in exhorbitant numbers. Meir's male cabinet came up with the idea of a female curfew at night. Meir responded "But who is doing the raping?" The curfew idea was quickly abandoned.
Maybe a curfew on violent men, once they have been found guilty of violence. Ankle bracelets that sound once they leave their premises after 6pm? It wouldn't necessarily stop first-time offenders but it may disincentivise the many show-offs who like scrapping outside the pub. I'm sure security staff monitoring bracelet technology would be much cheaper than hiring more police to patrol our streets.
Of course, women are subjected to greater violence within their homes than without. Again, removal of violent men from their homes then ankle bracelet monitoring would go a long way towards a feeling of safety. The real hardline repeat offenders should be in prison anyway...
Brilliant. We need a way to identify these miscreants.
https://upload.wikimedia.or...
Yes, it is absolutely men doing the majority of the assaults, but I stuffed if I can think of a way to stop it.
Obviously early education is key, but that won't stop the current generation of adults.
Not a fan of the bracelet idea, but it's better than anything I can come up with.
I disagree, in part. Yes, the problem is violent men but including men in the victim list does not dilute the point, it expands it. We cannot solve a problem if we refuse to fully identify it.
it would be interesting to read a similar survey of women over the age of 19...many of us much DON'T go out at night full.stop because we've had years of being hassled, accosted, cat called, assaulted but random strangers ( in my case, always men but these days women can be just as aggressive) Quite frankly it pisses me off that l don't feel safe going anywhere as soon as it gets dark, on my own although l refuse to give in to it because l have things l need/want to do at night time ; especially my night photography. So l dress like l could be a bloke - pants, low heel boots/runners , big parker with a hoodie underneath and usually, all in black so I'm harder to spot.