‘I’m calling on our male allies to step up’

A BRISTOL MP has called on men to take action to tackle violence against women in the wake of Wayne Couzens being jailed for life for Sarah Everard’s murder.

The sexual predator, who had clocked off from a 12-hour shift with the Metropolitan Police that morning, went on to rape and strangle the 33-year-old marketing executive.

Following Thursday’s sentence, Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire took to social media to urge men to take more action to keep women safe.

She said that violence against women and girls was supported by “misogynistic attitudes”.

“Attitudes do not just ‘exist’ in a vacuum, they are part of culture,” she wrote on Twitter.

“Misogynistic attitudes come from many sources and have many consequences. They are rooted in everyday behaviour. And until we change that behaviour, we cannot end violence against women and girls.

“Failure to tackle street harassment, or sexual harassment at work, or the pervasiveness of images and venues in which men’s access to women’s bodies is taken for granted, their entitlement is built in – these are all part of that values system which needs to be dismantled.”

She then called on men to speak up if they heard their friends being sexist.

“Most men are not violent, but the underlying attitudes of misogyny going unchallenged by non-violent men helps those who are to justify their behaviour,” she wrote.

“All men who want to be allies in this struggle can be – by being vocal.

“Women should not be left to fix men’s violence or sexism. It’s usually us who call it out. But it’s men’s to fix. And not for the first time, I’m calling on our male allies to step up.

“So, if you are a man feeling despair about the murder of Sarah Everard, you can help change things. You can’t

So, if you are a man feeling despair about the murder of Sarah Everard, you can help change things BRISTOL WEST MP THANGAM DEBBONAIRE

bring Sarah back to her family or anyone else killed by misogynistic hatred of women. But you can help.

“And if you are a man and you know someone who demeans their partner – call them out. Don’t be silent. If your mates make sexist jokes, or hateful comments about women, ask them if they’d say that in front of women in their lives.

“Because of women campaigning, there’s real urgency about tackling systemic misogyny. Laws have improved. It makes me believe we can create a better world. But it needs us all – men and women – to take up this challenge.”