Calls to make district a safer space for women
Local election candidate Lorna Fitzpatrick, has launched a local campaign calling on Wexford County Council to adopt a Safe Place for Women charter to ensure that Gorey is made safe and accessible for all women. Ms Fitzpatrick has called on women in the Gorey area to get in touch to highlight the safety risks in their area and their suggestions for making the community a safe place for women.
“Gorey is a wonderful area with a strong community. We all believe that everyone, whatever their gender, age, or walk of life, has the right to feel safe and enjoy all the wonderful area has to offer. Unfortunately, there are many ways that our physical environment can make women feel less safe,” said Ms Fitzpatrick.
“I have been engaging with the Council to have new street lighting installed in Gorey, Courtown and Riverchapel to name just a couple of areas. We are all familiar with the routes which we avoid at night, the lonelier parts of our commutes, quieter parts of our town and villages and the ways in which that can make our world feel a bit smaller and less safe,” said Lorna.
She believes that Wexford County Council can do much more with its resources to make Gorey and the surrounding areas a safer place for women. She went on to say that other local authorities in other countries have already introduced charters like this.
“My Labour Party colleagues and I are engaging with our European counterparts to learn what worked and what can be improved on. No one knows how better to make this community thrive than the people who live here. That is why I am inviting people who live here to get in touch with their ideas for making Wexford County Council make Gorey safer and more accessible.” “Safety in the area means freedom for all those who live in it. We all stand to benefit by implementing this charter.
“I will be collating all the responses I receive and if elected this June, I will be introducing a charter, comprising those measures and international best practice, to ensure that we can make every neighbourhood a place where all women can walk, run, shop, commute, grow, and thrive,” said Ms Fitzpatrick.