Suzanne Harrington: Not all men? Yes, actually, all men are part of the problem
Suzanne Harrington: 'Men get away with everything from catcalling to harassing to intimidating to abusing because you, the good guys, don’t call it out enough.'
Once upon a time, women internalised all the misogyny. We sucked it up like obliging sponges, and policed each other accordingly: don’t take sweets from strangers, don’t go out looking like that, don’t walk home alone, don’t take a lift, don’t drink too much, don’t leave without your friends, don’t forget to hold your keys like a weapon, don’t wear shoes you can’t run in, don’t take short cuts, don’t forget to text you’re home safe, don’t stay out late, don’t answer the door, don’t let anyone in. Unless of course, your killer is your partner. According to the Femicide Census, 92% of women murdered knew their murderer.
But it’s the women who don’t know their killers who get the headlines, like Sarah Everard, murdered between International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day. Identified by her teeth. A London cop arrested and charged. We’ve all seen the images of the furious, grieving, flower-carrying women gathering on Clapham Common being manhandled, shoved to the ground, and arrested by the very same London police force. A show of state theatre reminiscent of Suffrage era tactics, except the women, had face masks and smartphones instead of bustles and bonnets.
