THE fallout from the Sarah Everard murder and violence towards women continued to attract comment from columnists and contributors - plus the issue of online abuse.
The Daily Express
Vanessa Feltz said every woman has a list of the men who have been harassed by men - from sexual assaults and groping to being pushed up against on public transport.
“The assaults continue long beyond our fertile years,” she said. “We run the gauntlet every time we leave our homes unaccompanied. We are fair game at any time and every day, even in hospital, in labour or emerging from a loved one’s funeral.”
She asked her female listeners for their lists, she said, and not one contacted her to say they had no idea what she was talking about.
“Being unsafe in public and private has nothing to do with being pert, sexy, wearing high heels or suggestive clothing or having imbibed alcohol,” she added. “The only qualification for being the object of unwanted attention is being female. The response to Sarah Everard’s abduction and murder is clear.
“Women do not feel safe because we are not safe. I want better for my five-year-old granddaughter.”
The Guardian
Fiona Vera-Grey, author of The Right Amount of Panic: How women trade freedom, said we need to stop viewing a violent attack on a woman as ‘an isolated incident.’
“Recent research on men’s sexual aggression has argued that dehumanisation, and in particular the denial of women’s “human uniqueness”, can be a driving factor for men who commit sexual offences,” she said. “Put simply, some don’t see women as people.”
Men need to challenge other men when they talk about or treat women in a non respectful way, she said.
“We need to recognise our role in upholding a culture that endorses, excuses and eroticises violence against women,” she said. “We need change and we need it now. Women can’t afford to wait a day longer.”
The Independent
Katie Price said her son Harvey has been mocked and belittled since he was a small boy, because of his race and disabilities.
“In my opinion, the existing Online Harms Bill doesn’t go far enough in making online abuse a specific criminal offence ,” she said. “We need to remove people’s anonymity online to ensure that users cannot cause harm by using online platforms to abuse others.”
She has started a TrackATroll petition to trace and trace those responsible for spreading hate onoline.
“I’m calling for it to be made a legal requirement, when opening a social media account, to provide a verified form of ID,” she said.
“No troll should retain the right to be able to hide behind their abusive malicious posts. This is for the public good – but it’s also personal.”
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