Wrong targets for righteous anger
THE rape and murder of 22-yearold Eurydice Dixon as she walked home through Princes Park shocked not only those who knew and loved her but the entire community.
Here was a young woman who loved nothing more, it seems, than to fill the lives of others with laughter before her own life was so callously cut short.
What’s more, she had every right to walk home as she did that night without fear of being set upon.
But it was the aftermath, during which some sought to politicise this tragedy in order to push their own agendas, that I found offensive.
It began with a wave of indignation by some who criticised police for advising women to be mindful of their safety while walking alone at night.
Now, I don’t know what police were supposed to say following such an awful crime but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t, “Everything is OK, keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll be right.”
Critics also chose to ignore the fact that at that particular stage, no one had yet been apprehended and charged over the killing, so not only was the advice given by police appropriate but also vital to the protection of others.
But for some it was yet again another opportunity for a bit of rabid man bashing.
Next day, viewers’ comments to morning television were equally as scathing. They claimed women were sick and tired of being told they should be careful when going out at night alone, that police were shirking their responsibility by telling women to be careful and — most absurd of all — that all men should be locked up at night so none of them could attack women.
The outrage that a young woman had lost her life in the most horrendous of circumstances was one thing, but blaming police for advising women to take care was both ridiculous and utterly irresponsible.
Whether we like it or not, the cold, harsh reality is that there will always be sad, sick individuals out there who, given half a chance, would do us harm.
And contrary to the belief of some, police are not mind readers. They cannot pick a potential killer by the colour of their hair or the cut of their clothes, nor can they pre-empt another person’s intentions to do harm, more’s the pity.
We can all call for more police on the streets, but could extra police prevent such horrific crimes occurring in future?
Of course it won’t and we would be foolish to think otherwise.
Nor can police be expected to be everywhere, so the advice given to women last week to take care while walking alone was not a slur on women, as some suggested, but good solid advice.
With sexual assaults committed against women on the rise, raising boys to be respectful of women has become a subject that most parents of sons these days seem highly supportive of and keen to embrace.
But at the same time, shouldn’t all children be taught to be respectful of each other, irrespective of gender?
Over the years I’ve seen men take out intervention orders against violent wives, women (rarely, I admit) charged with sexually assaulting males and female and male teachers accused of sexually assaulting their students.
At the same time I’ve covered court cases where women were assaulted by sleazy cab drivers, confronted by weirdos exposing themselves in public and children sexually assaulted by the very people they should have been able to trust.
While we cannot fully protect ourselves from every deranged idiot out there, we can step up to the plate and take some responsibility for our own welfare by using a bit of common sense.
Irrespective of gender, getting into the habit of keeping your wits about you, looking out for each other and reporting dodgy behaviour to police is a damn good start.
Women are not there to be used and abused by men, but men do not deserve to all be tainted with the same brush.
A male colleague pointed out that he knew more men who would rush to defend a woman and not one who would walk the other way.
So it’s not all about women. It’s about living together and being kind and respectful towards each other.
It’s also about doing our own bit to help police do their job and not expecting them to take responsibility for our welfare.
That is something we all need to take ownership of ourselves.