Do you ever go running? Avon and Somerset Police want you, you womenfolk, to do it in groups of other womenfolk, in order to avoid being hurt.
Launched in conjunction with anti-harassment group Bristol Zero Tolerance, the police department’s #JogOn campaign aims ‘to give you some practical tips and guidance on how to stay safe and feel confident in your local streets, park, or footpath.’c
One of those tips, however, is to run in groups of other women because. Detective superintendent Marie Wright said: ‘Unfortunately, we know that some people, usually women, can feel uncomfortable, intimidated or scared to go out for a run, especially in the winter when the nights are longer and there is less opportunity to be outdoors during daylight.
‘Exercising in a group can be a great way to help you feel safe, keep you motivated and deter threatening behaviour, so why not join your local running club?’
The scheme has been criticised on social media by women runners using the campaign's very own hashtag. The problem is, while it’s the sort of advice that seems initially very sensible, it’s just fundamentally unfair that no-one is telling men the same thing. Especially when running can, for its advocates, feel so liberating?
Rather than putting a bit of effort into working on prevention tactics, so that sexually violent crimes can be stopped by men simply not committing them in the first place, it seems easier to lay the responsibility at the be-trainered feet of women who just want to go out for a run. After all, while all women are, sadly, thought to be at risk of sexual violence, you can't always pinpoint which man is going to assault or harass them. That's part of why women can already feel on high-alert all the time. And now this advice comes along!
As Karen Ingala-Smith, chief executive of Kia, a charity dedicating to ending violence against women, told The Telegraph, ‘It is probably a pragmatic decision for women to make but I don’t think it’s right - it’s another example of how male violence is used to control and restrict all women.