Commenting on the distressing disappearance of Sarah Everard and the outpouring of emotion and debate about women’s safety on the streets, ActionAid UK’s deputy director of policy, advocacy and programmes, Lee Margaret Webster responds.
“Women and girls are once again sharing their personal stories of the fears they face and navigate. And what threads them together is the systemic violence or threat of violence they all reference. Women are asking to be heard and must be listened to.
“The risks women and girls face daily – on the streets, in their homes, at work, on public transport – stem from deep-rooted misogynistic attitudes and structures. It is not women's responsibility to prevent violence. Violence against women and girls is a global problem that cuts across every sphere and space, and across geography, race and class. We urgently need a unified, properly resourced approach to ending it.
“ActionAid knows from its work with women and girls in over 40 countries how widespread gender-based violence is. We must listen to the concerns and needs of women and girls, recognise misogyny as a hate crime and fund women’s rights organisations who are on the frontline of responding to cases, challenging the status quo and supporting long-term change in women’s lives.”
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Note to editors:
ActionAid is an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty. Our dedicated local staff are helping end violence against women and girls and changing lives, for good. We won’t stop until women and girls are out of danger, out of poverty and on track to create the future they want.