Is a 6 pm curfew for men possible? Sarah Everard case sparks 'totally bonkers' suggestion to keep women safe
Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old woman, disappeared mysteriously while walking back from a friend's house in London on March 3. Now, human remains have been discovered in a wooded area of Ashford, Kent, more than 50 miles from the area Everard was last seen. A police officer was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and murdering her. Following this disappearance, there has been outrage over women’s safety in the UK, along with talks of a curfew - for men.
"These are so powerful because each and every woman can relate," Home Secretary Priti Patel said. "Every woman should feel safe to walk on our streets without fear of harassment or violence." Cressida Dick, the head of London's police force, said, "I know Londoners will want to know that it is thankfully incredibly rare for a woman to be abducted from our streets. But I completely understand that despite this, women in London and the wider public, particularly those in the area where Sarah went missing, will be worried and may well be feeling scared."
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The Sun reported that Wales is considering bringing in local curfews for men to make women feel safer on the streets at night.
Will there be a curfew for men?
The idea of a 6 pm curfew on men was proposed by the Green Party’s Baroness Jones in the aftermath of the Everard case during a debate on domestic violence in the House of Lords. She said, "In the week that Sarah Everard was abducted and, we suppose, killed -- because remains have been found in a woodland in Kent -- I argue that, at the next opportunity for any Bill that is appropriate, I might put in an amendment to create a curfew for men on the streets after 6pm. I feel this would make women a lot safer, and discrimination of all kinds would be lessened."
Strange that telling women to stay home to stay safe rouses no concern, but saying the same to men to keep women safe induces a MASSIVE misogynist hissy fit. https://t.co/Z8YF2yTxYy
— Jenny Jones (@GreenJennyJones) March 12, 2021
Jones later said, however, that the idea was "not an entirely serious suggestion" and is not party policy. "I was just trying to highlight that when the police victim-blame by asking women to stay home, we don't react. We just think it's normal," Jones said. "That in fact nobody makes a fuss when, for example, the police suggest women stay home. But when I suggest it, men are up in arms."
She said, "If this has sparked intense scrutiny, I'm really happy," adding that misogyny should be made a hate crime. She explained that while "all men are not abusers", "all men can help" stamp it out of society.
Wales’ first minister Mark Drakeford said that he refused to rule out the prospect of taking "dramatic action" if there were a "crisis", but said such a move "wouldn't be top of the list" of responses. Drakeford said, “It wouldn't be on the top of the list of things we'd consider because it would be at the very best a temporary intervention."
He added, "If there were a crisis, and you needed to take dramatic action that allowed that crisis to be drawn down, then, of course, you'd be prepared to consider all measures that would make a difference. But the curfew measure you've described, it could only ever be a temporary answer and therefore it's not at the top of our list. There are other things we can do and should do. People need to be safe and to feel safe and that's absolutely the sort of society we wish to create here in Wales."
Later, he insisted, "We are not introducing a curfew for men in Wales -- or even considering it. This is misleading and deliberately misses the real issue. It’s a sad distraction when what’s needed is a proper discussion about women’s safety and why a woman is killed every three days by a man in the UK."
As per reports, government sources have dismissed it as "totally bonkers" and say it would involve a "massive curtailing of basic freedoms and rights". Caroline Nokes, Tory MP and Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee said, "You can't go around slapping curfews on one gender. Any solution to the real fear that women feel is going to have to be a lot more complex than that. It's a bonkers suggestion - but it has got us all talking about what practical steps men can take to make women feel safer."
The Women's Equality Party also said it might not work. Mandu Reid, leader of the party, said, “After a year of lockdowns, the last thing we need is more reasons to stop people going out. That’s why politicians and police should step up and take responsibility for making sure women can leave their homes free from the fear of violence. It’s about making ending violence against women a priority.”