In the United Kingdom (UK), a debate has rightly arisen about the safety of women after the disappearance and murder of Sarah Everard. It is estimated that over 70% of all women in the UK have endured (sexual) harassment in public places.
That debate now seems to become a painful display and somehow I find this terribly sad. Understandably, ladies wonder how and who to hold to account, and point to moral awareness and social norms among the gentlemen among us. Leaving aside the fact that scum such as murderers, rapists and other perpetrators of violence do not want to feel responsible at all. And won’t.
I have been advocating for years that the female sex should learn to defend itself from an early age. That is as from primary school. The power of surprise and equality if a woman can hold her own against such a brute should definitely not be underestimated. Spontaneous resilience is a great asset, I believe. Although at the same time, I realize that self-defense will just be a bridge too far for many ladies. After all, there is nothing more charming than innocence.
As displaying fear can sometimes be a bad counselor, because that very feeling causes excitement in a potential murderer or rapist, which in my opinion leads to that dangerous delusion of safety. After all, that potential murderer / rapist gets a kick out of an unequal position of power (visible feelings of fear) in which the sacrificed person always ends up losing out. (I do not specifically use the term: victim, because I believe that a victim apparently “resigns” to the violent act. And that is usually not the case. Certainly not afterwards, when anger sets in.)
Anyway, I believe that in life you definitely need a little bit of luck to stay out of the greedy fingers of such a monster. Unfortunately, Sarah Everard was not this lucky.
