for men
These safety tips come out of my frustration at the advice given to women about keeping safe on the streets at night. This advice always seems to imply that my stupid actions would get me attacked or even raped. It is time for men to help ensure the safety of the streets and to challenge harassers.
I am tired of constantly being told to walk in the middle of the road at night (I guess to avoid being pulled into a bush), or being told not to sit on the top deck of the bus, or to take off my shoes and run to the nearest house. (Because all women wear stilettos heals!) The stilettos thing always made me laugh as a teenager, as at the time my best going out shoes were a pair of eight-hole cherry red DMs! It is time to start talking about what we can do to make things safer for everyone.
What follows is a set of safety tips and advice for men based on my own feelings and experience.
1. If you see a woman or group of women being harassed, attacked or even being followed, Don't walk on by. Do something.
- If you have a mobile phone or can get to a payphone, call the police.
- Assess the situation. If you think you can intervene without risk to yourself do so. Use common sense!
- Don't assume that if a man and woman are fighting it's just a 'relationship tiff'. If he hits her, he is committing a crime.
What should you do if the woman involved says it's ok and asks you not to intervene?
Again, use common sense. If in doubt always call the police.
Respect the wishes of the woman, but NOT at the expense of her safety.
2. On public transport:
- Make yourself visible to others. Stand in the light when waiting for a bus or train. If waiting for an over-ground train always wait on the platform not in the tunnel or footbridge. If its raining shelter on the platform.
- On trains and buses - especially late at night: Don't strike up conversations with women you don't know as your intentions may be interpreted as threatening. Don't ask for personal details like phone number or even a woman's name. This is not the place to pull. (It is especially important to be aware of this if the carriage is empty.)
- If you have been drinking, give lone women space - they may not want to sit near or talk to a man or group of men who have been drinking.
- Don't ask lone women for the time or train details, all train stations have clocks, displays, timetables and station workers to provide this information. Respect that a lone woman travelling at night has the right to feel safe and may not want to speak you.
3. On the street and in other public places
- Be conscious of lone women don't walk to close to them. Cross the road and put space between you and them.
- Use common sense. you don't need to tell a woman that you're not a threat!
- Don't hang out in or take isolated routes home, especially after dark. Men are actually more at risk from mugging and other violent crime on the streets than women are.
Remember to protect yourself as well!
tips written by Charlie
go to tactics for women
What follows is a set of safety tips and advice for men based on my own feelings and experience.
1. If you see a woman or group of women being harassed, attacked or even being followed, Don't walk on by. Do something.
- If you have a mobile phone or can get to a payphone, call the police.
- Assess the situation. If you think you can intervene without risk to yourself do so. Use common sense!
- Don't assume that if a man and woman are fighting it's just a 'relationship tiff'. If he hits her, he is committing a crime.
What should you do if the woman involved says it's ok and asks you not to intervene?
Again, use common sense. If in doubt always call the police.
Respect the wishes of the woman, but NOT at the expense of her safety.
2. On public transport:
- Make yourself visible to others. Stand in the light when waiting for a bus or train. If waiting for an over-ground train always wait on the platform not in the tunnel or footbridge. If its raining shelter on the platform.
- On trains and buses - especially late at night: Don't strike up conversations with women you don't know as your intentions may be interpreted as threatening. Don't ask for personal details like phone number or even a woman's name. This is not the place to pull. (It is especially important to be aware of this if the carriage is empty.)
- If you have been drinking, give lone women space - they may not want to sit near or talk to a man or group of men who have been drinking.
- Don't ask lone women for the time or train details, all train stations have clocks, displays, timetables and station workers to provide this information. Respect that a lone woman travelling at night has the right to feel safe and may not want to speak you.
3. On the street and in other public places
- Be conscious of lone women don't walk to close to them. Cross the road and put space between you and them.
- Use common sense. you don't need to tell a woman that you're not a threat!
- Don't hang out in or take isolated routes home, especially after dark. Men are actually more at risk from mugging and other violent crime on the streets than women are.
Remember to protect yourself as well!
tips written by Charlie
go to tactics for women