Boris Johnson has called for a change in cultural attitudes towards the treatment of women in light of the tragic murder of Sarah Everard.
Discover our latest podcast
Tracking numbers to find a solution
Police will now be obliged to record and identify violent crimes, including stalking and harassment, by victims who believe that the form of assault they were subjected to was directly linked to their gender.
The call for action has come about following the epidemic of violence against women that has been observed on a global scale but most recently, here in the UK, with the murder of Sarah Everard. With crimes being recorded more regularly, finding a solution for addressing the prevalence of crimes against women will become that much more feasible. Fawcett Society chief executive Felicia Willow said:
It's essential that women have the confidence to report crimes and that they are taken seriously when they do. This is a major step forward in changing how we understand, address and prevent violence against women - and one that we hope will help change attitudes towards women.
With Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine agreeing by saying that:
If we are to better protect women and girls in this country, then crimes motivated by hatred towards women and girls must be treated as seriously as racially or religiously motivated hate crimes. This is a moment when we are sadly too aware of the dangers. We are all grateful to everyone who has worked to make this possible.
The Sarah Everard effect
In the wake of her murder, more and more are opening their eyes to the pandemic that has been lurking in the shadows for so long; women-targeted violence. Within just a week, a woman's safety app has skyrocketed to the top of the download charts, even though its developers say that it shouldn't even exist in the first place.
The app in question is called WalkSafe and provides users with a map indicating areas in which crimes have been reported so they can take safer routes home instead.
