New map reveals dangerous areas for women after dark

IF YOU’RE a woman chances are you don’t like being out alone in the dark of night. There’s a good reason for that.

Carly was harassed in Melbourne. Picture: Alana Holmberg/Plan International

ALL it takes is 300 metres of darkness for somebody to be attacked.

As you step out of the light onto a shadowed street, the fear sets in and you’re constantly looking over your shoulder to make sure you’re still alone and nothing sinister is lurking in the shadows.

Women don’t often feel safe walking after dark and even the busiest roads in cities won’t protect you.

Carly is just 16 and she’s found herself in danger, at a time she never expected.

She’s a kickboxer so she knows how to protect herself, and when she walks the streets of Melbourne, she says she tries to look intimidating and keep her head straight.

“I definitely walk with the assumption that if I look mean, or uninterested in everyone then no one will bother talking to me. Because why would you want to talk to someone who looks nasty?” She said.

Carly, who did not reveal her last name, said she used to love going into Melbourne’s CBD but recently on bustling Church Street, she was the victim of a shocking incident where her attacker felt he had some sort of right to her.

She was walking with friends when three guys in their 20s walked past and one grabbed her on her backside so hard it hurt her.

She yelled at the man but he looked at her and laughed and told her he knew she wanted him to touch her again but she told him she didn’t.

“He didn’t really acknowledge that I had said anything until I said ‘how does it feel to be a paedophile? I’m 16’,” she said.

But he just told her it wasn’t his fault she looked older than she was.

Now Carly will go out of her way to avoid getting into situations where she could be touched in public, she thinks of it as a way to survive.

“I am not one of those people that I can have someone talk to me like I am an animal and then get over it. It stays in my head for ages. What did I do? What did I say? What am I wearing? Do I look like a tart? Do I look like a slut?” she said.

Carly is part of a group of women who teamed up with Plan International to take action against victim blaming and slut shaming.

And they have created a map to warn people about the most dangerous places in Melbourne so people are aware of the fear women face on a daily basis.

Sherry-Rose Watts — who is part of the group working with Plan International, an organisation supporting women’s rights — said she avoided leaving the house after dark to stay safe.

She herself had been subjected to wolf-whistling and comments where men would ask her to twerk on them.

“There’s nothing pleasant about being objectified,” she said.

Ms Watts believes women have to protect themselves and society wasn’t looking out for them.

“If you’re a girl there are so many checks and balances you have to have in place before you go out,” she said.

“You have to ask yourself ‘what am I wearing? Where am I going? How and I getting there? Who am I going with?’

“Guys don’t have to ask themselves these questions, they don’t have to worry about what they’re wearing or where they’re going.

“It’s not liberating for young women.”

Ms Watts said women blamed themselves if something happened and thought about whether or not they took the necessary precautions.

“It’s because of victim shaming and slut shaming and it’s not OK,” Ms Watts said.

The map shows the most dodgy places in Melbourne at night and other locals can add “sad spots” with their personal stories to warn others to be careful.

Some woman have been stalked and others have been harassed by drunks.

“The worst hotspot, and I’m certainly not surprised, is around Flinders Street Station, Swanston Street and towards Elizabeth Street,” Ms Watts said.

She doesn’t want women to feel like they have to stay away from dodgy areas, but would rather see safety measures put in place in the hotspots.

A new report released by Plan International found about half of women felt unsafe at night.

Plan International Australia deputy chief executive Susanne Legena said women could drop a pin on the public interactive map and describe their experience.

They can also let others know about areas that are safe.

“Unfortunately, Australian girls say they sometimes feel just as unsafe in some public areas after dark as girls from countries with far higher rates of violence,” she said.

“This is concerning and we need to really listen to girls and start to make positive changes to our urban environment to ensure they always feel safe and welcomed.”

Tell your story at www.plan.org.au/freetobe.