Back in December 2021, I was walking home after midnight and passed a scene, where a drunk woman was being lured into a car by a couple of men. As I passed, I said ‘maate’ and the chaps involved quickly understood the error of their ways, apologised to the woman and everyone went home.
Obviously, that’s not what happened.
I had been at a dinner in St James’s. It being December, Uber was under pressure and repeatedly cancelled my booking. Black cabs were like gold dust, even when I walked over to a place that usually serves one up without fail. I set off walking in the direction of home and when a bus came along, heading in the right direction ish, I hopped aboard.
By now it was pretty late, and I stepped off the bus feeling irritation and trepidation at a walk home in the dark on my own.
Thank goodness for the irritation, because that’s what made the difference for the would-be abductee, and probably for me too. As I came upon the scene, I could see that there was nothing for it but to intervene, and evidently my bad-tempered exasperation at being forced to involve myself was enough to make the men think again, pile into their car and flee the scene. I walked the woman back to her front door, nearby, and then made my own way home.
‘Maate’ indeed. The current Mayor of London has recommended that if you see a woman being harrassed, saying ‘maate’ is enough to make the predators stop. Of course, I didn’t say ‘maate’ to these men, but got myself involved and probably in danger. Perhaps the Mayor thinks that with ‘mate’ he has found a solution and ticked that box. Perhaps he thinks that women are safe now.
Unfortunately, we are not.
We have to accept that a tiny proportion of men wish women harm, usually for their own pleasure, and we need realistic solutions.
If we are serious about keeping women safe, the best deterrent is CCTV. Recent high-profile crimes against women have been solved because of it, and hopefully other would-be predators will have thought twice for fear of getting caught.
Unless anyone has any better ideas? Please shout if you do – loudly.
© Joanna Reeves 2023 all rights reserved.
Joanna Reeves 