Why are our daughters not safe to walk the streets alone?

The killing of Ashling Murphy and the spate of attacks on women reported since then have brought back some disturbing memories for Susan O'Shea who questions why she has to tell her teenage daughter to watch her back when she goes outside

People light candles and lay flowers at the candlelight vigil for Ashling Murphy outside the Sexual Violence Centre at Camden Place, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

My daughter is 15. We live in Fermoy. And last night we were forced to have ‘that conversation’. The one where we told her we no longer think it is safe for her to walk alone, day or night. 

The fact that we had to tell our beautiful 15-year-old that she needs to constantly look over her shoulder, be dropped and collected, that there are men and boys out there who will hurt her if they get the chance makes me so angry. Like thousands of other parents across the country who had had to say the same thing to their daughters.