Women call for online ‘pick-up’ forum to be removed

Students and women’s groups have lashed out at a creepy online forum which lists places where men can practise picking up “solo girls” or “jailbait” in Melbourne.

An online forum that refers to women as ‘targets’, and ranks their ‘quality’ on a scale out of 10 has been slammed by students and women’s groups.

A creepy online forum outlining places to approach “solo girls” and “jailbait” in Melbourne is circulating, encouraging men to prey on women.

The post was placed on a pick-up forum in 2017, and has resurfaced following the murders of several women in public places across the city.

The content has angered students and women’s groups for its blatant misogyny and racism.

The author, who says the information is based on living in the CBD, recommends public places across Melbourne where men can practise their “daygame” — the art of picking up women during the day.

The post refers to women as “targets”, and ranks the “quality” of women at each location on a scale out of 10.

The Herald Sun has chosen not to name the sites but contacted some of them.

“We have referred the information to the police for monitoring and our security team is paying particular attention to the locations named in the post,” a spokeswoman at one of the sites said.

“We have written to the forum admins to request that the post is removed.’’

A spokesperson at another location said: “We work hard to provide a safe and welcoming environment for our customers and team members, and this type of behaviour is clearly at odds with that”.

One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Herald Sun she was approached by the same man at two of the locations outlined in the post.

Women’s Information and Referral Exchange chief executive Julie Kun.

“I don’t think he’d realised I’d already told him to get lost once before,” she said.

“His technique is basically falling into exact step with you — even if you’ve got headphones in or and walking fast — and striking up conversation with a stream of questions to catch you and make you reply.

“I genuinely wouldn’t be surprised if it was this exact dude who wrote the post because it all sounds so familiar.”

Another woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the Herald Sun that she had been approached three times by the one person at places highlighted in the post.

“He didn’t realise I had already told him to leave me alone, once then twice,” the woman said.

“He would walk with me and persistently ask questions trying to get me to answer.”

The post has been met with disgust from women’s groups, including the Women’s Information and Referral Exchange (WIRE).

WIRE chief executive Julie Kun said the post demonstrates a troubling attitude towards women.

“Women should be able to live their lives free from sexual harassment, whether they’re studying, working or going shopping,” Ms Kun said.

“The kind of predatory, demeaning and frankly racist language in this post and the comments on it are sadly typical of this ‘pick-up artist’ culture. If we hope to see a cultural shift around sexist behaviour, we need men to step up and call out behaviour that goes too far.”

“Women are on the whole smarter than ‘pick-up artists’ like this give us credit for.

“The behaviour of these men is not attractive or sexy in any way. The challenge is that men like this can become aggressive when they’re rejected, so that’s the point where women need to be careful. In the long run, though, it’s not about ways that individual women can keep themselves safe; it’s about changing the culture so that this behaviour from men becomes unacceptable.

“The assumption behind the whole ‘pick-up artist’ thinking is that women are just waiting around to be of use to a man, which is absolutely laughable.”

State Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams described the forum’s comments as “disgusting”.

“(The comments) show why we have a long way to go in achieving the respect for women that will reduce violence against women.

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“These are spaces where people go to study, to exercise, to pick up groceries — these aren’t places where women are seeking to be approached for dates or sex, and this sort of calculated soliciting is nothing short of harassment.’’

One woman reported the post to CrimeStoppers while others took to social media to voice their disgust.

One woman wrote on social media: “A disgusting forum actually exists of where to find Melbourne girls. Please be careful, ladies, this is real”.

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