Women feel unsafe walking after dark

Half of women worry about walking alone at night near home or in busy public spaces

WOMEN are more than three times as likely to feel unsafe walking alone in the dark on a quiet street near their home than men. That’s according to an Office for National Statistics survey that asked people how safe they felt walking in public places at different times of the day.

Around half (49%) of women said they would feel unsafe walking alone after dark on a quiet street close to home - compared to just 15% of men.

Among those women were 20% who said they would feel very unsafe.

Women aged between 16 and 34 and those aged 75 and over were the most likely to feel unsafe in such a situation (56% and 54% respectively), while men aged between 35 and 54 were the least likely (11%).

The survey - the first from the ONS to ask how safe people feel in different public settings - gathered answers from more than 16,000 adults aged 16 and over during June.

It also found 49% of women would feel unsafe walking alone after dark in a busy public space, such as a high street or train station, including 18% who said they would feel very unsafe.

Only 19% of men said they would feel the same in similar locations at night.

And 81% of women said they would feel unsafe walking unaccompanied after dark in a park or similar open space - while 39% of men said the same.

The figures come two months after the Government released its Tackling Violence against Women and Girls Strategy, in the wake of the outcry over the murders of Sarah Everard, and sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, among others.

Rebecca Hitchen, head of policy and campaigns at the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: “This data confirms what we know: that violence against women and girls remains a constant threat in every sphere of existence.

“Women’s inequality is impacting their rights and freedom to be safe from threats of violence.

“Women are tired of constantly undertaking personal risk assessments and invisible safety work to keep themselves safe from male violence.

“Black and minoritised women face disproportionately high levels of violence, yet specialist support services ‘by and for’ them face the most significant barriers to funding, leaving some of the most affected women without the help they need.”

Ms Hitchen said the Government’s Tackling Violence against Women and Girls Strategy fell short by failing to tackle the root cause of violence against women.

She called for a focus on challenging public attitudes to gender norms and the misogyny that underpins violent behaviour.

Different ethnic groups’ responses to the ONS survey varied depending on the type of public space in question.

Asian people were most likely to feel unsafe walking alone after dark on a quiet street near their home (41%), while those of mixed ethnicity were most likely to feel at risk in parks and open spaces (65%).

But the figure was highest for White people (35%) in busy public spaces such as high streets after dark.

A higher proportion of disabled people reported feeling unsafe in all locations than those without a disability.

And people in the most deprived areas of the country also felt they were at greater risk in all areas than those in the most affluent neighbourhoods.

The survey also asked people whether they had experienced different types of harassment in the past year.

Nearly a fifth (17%) of women said they had been subjected to catcalls, whistles, unwanted sexual comments or jokes from a stranger in a public place, compared to just 1% of men.

And people who had been harassed in the last year were more likely to feel unsafe walking alone compared with those who had not.

A Home Office spokesperson said the department’s Tackling Violence against Women and Girls Strategy would help people feel safer on the streets by increasing victim support, bringing more perpetrators to justice and reducing violence and abuse in the long-term.

The spokesperson added: “This builds on the measures we are taking to toughen sentences and protection for victims through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, as well as recruiting 20,000 more police officers to make our streets safer.”