Michael Moynihan: Can the city be made safer for women in the shorter term?

Calls for men to improve, or to raise sons with a better understanding of these issues, are fine, but is there more that can be done? Can the city be made safer for women in the shorter term?

Patrick Street, Cork. A male may see a city’s streets as having character and intrigue. A woman can see a series of threatening alleyways and potential hiding places for assailants.

The murder of Sarah Everard last week in London has led, unsurprisingly, to outrage and protests in that city. It’s equally unsurprising that those protests have been dealt with in a heavy-handed and disproportionate fashion, but that’s not what I want to dwell on here.

The reasons a city is unsafe for women have everything to do with the men who make it unsafe. That’s not at issue.