Carol McGiffin
‘What happened to Sarah Everard is so shocking it’s beyond words, making it impossible to express the true horror of it. Of course, it should not have happened and, of course, it should never happen again.
But, tragically it did, and it will.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying, “Oh well, nothing we can do, that’s the way it is.”
But the extreme suggestions put forward now, like a curfew for men to keep them off the streets at night so women can feel safe, are ludicrous.
It’s just another example of an entire group being blamed or held responsible for the crime of one. There are many other instances where that could apply but doesn’t, and never would. So, why is it OK to demonise men?
I know a lot of women have been vocal in the past week of their experiences of harassment, abuse and attacks, but I really think they are not the majority. Because, whether you want to hear it or not, most men are good.
The simple truth is that violence against anyone or anything is wrong, full stop.
The streets are never safe where there are people with evil intentions and, while we don’t know which ones they are, we can’t sweep up the entire male population and hope we catch one. No, the streets need to be safer for everyone, not just women. We could start by enforcing the law properly and reorganising police priorities. Police the streets, not the computer screens. Reignite the street lights. And stop with this “all men are a danger to women” narrative because they’re not, and women are already scared enough.’