What is Woman?
The issue of women’s safety has again been thrust into the spotlight following the disappearance of 33-year-old Sarah Everard as she walked home to Brixton from her friend’s home in Clapham, South-West London, on March 3rd. After extensive searches, Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick confirmed “human remains” were found in woodland near Ashford, Kent on the 11th of March — it is believed these are Ms Everard’s remains. The shocking story is that Ms Everard did everything ‘right’; contacted her partner, wore leggings and sensible shoes for running, walked past CCTV in fluorescent clothing. But in truth, women shouldn’t have to do any of these things: why is it still not safe for women to walk home?
This news came as a new study from the UN Women UK survey reveals 97% of young women in the UK have been sexually harassed. Among the ages of 18–24, 97% of women were sexually harassed and among ALL age groups 80% of women had been harassed. It is important to note that sexual harassment does not equal sexual assault necessarily, it is roughly defined as unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature which: violates one’s dignity, makes you feel intimidated, degraded or humiliated, and/or creates a hostile or offensive environment. Regardless, this statistic is still unacceptable, but at the same time unfortunately not shocking — if you speak to any woman they will probably have a story of sexual harassment, possibly even…
