6 pm curfew was put forward to protect women from sexual harassment at night. We asked the public for their opinions on this suggestion.
All men in the UK should have a 6 pm curfew to protect women against sexual harassment in public, according to Jenny Jones, a Green Party member.
This suggestion is an ironic response to police advice about women not to go out alone after Sarah Everard’s disappearance, which brings a debate about women’s safety and male violence.
“Most women, and many men, recognised the sarcasm straight away and I’ve had plenty of support,” said Jenny. “There are even a few messages from men who asked their wives, girlfriends, partners, about their experience of sexual harassment and were truly shocked.”
The UN Women UK released a report this month about prevalence and reporting of sexual harassment in UK public spaces this month in which it shows in the UK, 71% of women of all ages have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space.
Sarah’s death sparks public debate about how to help women feel safe. A 6pm curfew may not be the best option but it sure makes people think what will make this situation better and what can we do to make women feel safer. We asked the public in Cardiff about their opinion on the 6pm curfew suggestion.
Megan, 34 years old
I do not agree with that suggestion. I think something needs to be done to make people safer but I am not sure if a curfew for all men at 6pm is very fair. It’s a sexual discrimination. I think that not everyone men is like that which is a fairless appraisive way for doing that.
Adam, 38 years old
Making all men go home by 6 o’clock is absolutely crazy especially in the time when our freedom has been maximum limited. If you were a man and you wanted to go out and attack women, you would do it. Ultimately, men are aggressive. People have to find an outlet for that aggression. I competed in different forms of sports.
Morgan, 18 years old
Suggesting a curfew was good to bring up the conversation but it’s not a great idea. Because it will just have a lot of pushback and will probably incite some violence in both populations. It’s better to just teach men how to interact with women. Cause there will always be that men go out and do what they do.
Emily, 19 years old
It is good in sort of theory but in practice, it won’t have really good effects. I do agree it will just result in people not following the rules which may cause violence or protests. I don’t think it’s a good idea in general. If we sort of teach people from the start that will have a better effect in the long run.
Teddy, 20 years old
If this suggestion does go through, it will be like another lockdown only just for men. I can understand it is to protect women. But I think it in some ways will deepen the antagonism between genders which may cause more conflict or violence.
Liberty, 18 years old
You can’t just take away someone’s freedom. But at the same time, I think it’s making a point, like the fact that we have a kind of unspoken curfew for women. We are allowed to, but we can‘t go out after 6pm because we don’t feel comfortable and safe. There isn’t much education for males in schools. It’s more spoken about what women can do rather than what man can do.