Nottinghamshire police were accused of victim-blaming women yesterday after they posted. on Facebook saying that women should not walk alone at night. The post has since been deleted following backlash.
Reporting information about a man acting suspiciously towards women, the post – by the Broxtowe North police team - read:
‘Taking a risk when it comes to walking alone at night is not one of those things we should be doing. Women who walk alone especially at night are at risk of harassment, or even physical assault. It is always best to walk with someone or in an area where there are other people .
‘But even with the best planning there will likely come a time you will need to walk somewhere at night,’ the post continued. ‘Whether it’s to your car after a late night at the office, heading to your car after a lte0night store run or walking home from the public bus station, you may find yourself out at night alone.
Quickly receiving backlash, the post was deleted after Facebook users pointed out the victim-blaming sentiment. ‘We all hope you mean: “Everyone should feel safe enough to walk alone at night and it is our job to help make that happen”’, one user replied.
‘It felt like a 1980s thing,’ Helen Voce, chief executive of Nottingham Women’s Centre, told the BBC. ‘It is so condescending, blaming women for going out and it’s so sexist about us coming back from the shops. I think it makes women feel like it’s their fault and that’s ridiculous.’
‘It’s men that need to change their behaviour,’ she concluded.
Nottinghamshire police have since apologised for the post, saying it was ‘clumsy’. ‘We recognise this was a clumsy attempt to communicate an incident with the underlying intention of keeping people safe,’ a spokesperson said. ‘The post was swiftly deleted as soon as it was brought to our attention, feedback has been provided and we would apologise unreservedly for any offence caused.
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