Select a region
Holding keys in their hand, sticking to well-lit areas, changing routes or pretending to be on the phone - they are some of the things local women have told Express they do, to feel safer when they walk home alone at night.
Last week’s news of the death of 33-year-old Sarah Everard in South London - combined with the findings of a recent YouGov survey exposing the extent of sexual harassment against women in the UK - have prompted thousands of women to take to social media to share their views.
While Jersey is considered by many to be a ‘safe' place, these national conversations have prompted local women to speak out about their experiences to show that there are also issues to be addressed locally.
This week, Express is sharing a series of articles on their experiences of sexual harassment of varying degrees, and reflections on what can be done to make the island a safer place. Readers might find some of their experiences distressing...
Having lived in London and Manchester, 48-year-old Mary* says that in comparison Jersey is safe. Yet, she says, the fear of being assaulted does not go away and she finds herself “going through a whole process of continually being vigilant."
Pictured: "I am constantly on guard," Mary said.
“Not having the stress would be lovely,” she says. “It’s not necessarily a perception based on reality but it’s there. I do not feel there is a huge amount of violence in Jersey, but there is still this lack of freedom for women.”
Even though she says she has been receiving “less attention” as she gets older, Mary says she still regularly takes precautions to feel ‘safer’. While she used to run, she has now bought a treadmill because she does not want to run in the lanes near her home in the dark. For years, she also says she drove into work because it felt safer and has only just recently started walking to work.
“You change what you do,” she says. “I would not dream of walking home in high heels… I am still finding myself crossing the road if there’s a man, it’s uncomfortable… I am constantly on guard. You walk home with a route that has people on it. You wear a long coat if you are wearing something that is a bit short.
“It does not leave you ever. It would be lovely if this was not required or needed.”
Pictured: "Women have been conditioned to feel that it’s not safe to walk alone at night," Kelci says.
Mary is not the only one concerned about walking home alone. She says that about 18 months ago, she went out with her work colleagues and decided to walk home because there was a “huge queue” at the taxi rank. “It’s only a 15-minute walk home, so I just starting walking home and told my husband. He came out and met me because he didn’t like the idea of me walking alone.”
For Kelci (30), women have been “conditioned to feel that it’s not safe to walk alone at night”. “I feel so much more vulnerable at night-time, especially if it’s dark or late,” she says.
While she lives too far away from town to walk home after a night out, she says she would previously avoid it “at all costs."
“I would always make sure I am in well-lit areas, on a main road, where there would be cars or people walking around,” she recalls. “I would have my phone out but try not to appear distracted.
“I would pretend to be on the phone if there is someone close by me. I would have my keys in my hands. ‘Let me know when you get home’ - that’s something we all say to each other.
“It sounds silly, but you just never know - it’s terrible that this is the way we are trying to go home, there are all these things that you should not have to worry about, but you do. Your walk home would not necessarily be a long one, but it can feel so long when you are on your own or you are doing a short sprint to get home.”
Pictured: Some women carry their keys in their hands in case they need to defend themselves.
While a lot of people think Jersey is safe, Kelci says she is aware that many incidents of sexual harassment are not reported and the image of safety is therefore skewed.
“I do not feel safer here. With everything that’s happening all around the world, it does not matter where you are as a woman, you will always try and not walk from that place to there because of what might happen.”
In a statement, the police said islanders should feel safe to walk in Jersey if they chose to go out alone, adding that no one should feel scared or intimidated, harassed or objectified at any time.
“We are aware that these types of incidents still remain hugely under-reported, no one should have to deal with this type of behaviour from others," Superintendent Alison Fossey said.
"It’s important to not accept unacceptable behaviour, don’t let it hide in our community. Report it. By reporting it, we can help to stop it.”
Chief of Police, Robin Smith, said that islanders should not hesitate to contact Police if they are fearful, noting: “The tragic events in England over the last week or so have understandably heightened anxiety. SOJP will do all in their power to reassure islanders and sign-post victims to the support agencies that are here to help."
Pictured: The police are encouraging islanders to report "unacceptable behaviour".
Deputy Carina Alves, meanwhile, says she has always felt “very safe” in Jersey and would often walk home from the nightclubs at 03:00. “I was born here, I have lived here all my life, so the chance of bumping into someone I know is quite high,” she says. “I used to go on spontaneous nights out and knew I would end up with a group of people I know.”
Still, she admits she is more aware of her surroundings and observe people’s behaviours a lot more at night. “I usually always have my phone in my hand, at night I would still have my phone in my hand, but I am a bit more attentive,” she says. “I am hyper-aware…I also stick to well-lit areas."
She says that looking into feminism, talking with friends and colleagues and recent events have brought up a lot of questions that she had never thought about.
“There are little things that I have always looked at as an innocent action, but I am now analysing and wondering why I do that.”
23-year-old Jasmine says she doesn’t necessarily feel unsafe walking alone and that, on the whole, Jersey is ‘safer’, even though the streets are a lot quieter at night.
“I lived in Liverpool and the streets were generally full of students, meaning you were rarely left walking completely alone in the dark, like you can be in Jersey,” she says. “I also believe a lot of inappropriate behaviour is very normalised on the island in comparison to other places, where misogynistic behaviour and attitudes are regularly called out and aren’t tolerated. I think Jersey has a lot of work to do in regards to what we perceive as ‘normal’ and acceptable behaviour.”
Pictured: "I try to stick to areas where I know there will be people and are better lit," Jasmine says.
Like Carina, Jasmine says she is “very aware of her surroundings all the time” when walking on her own. “There have been many times I’ve definitely been scared I’m being followed,” she adds. “I’ve had to change directions before and let someone walk in front of me, so they did not follow me home or know where I was staying.
“I try to make my journey as short as possible and take my earphones out when walking in darker areas. I try to stick to areas where I know there will be people and are better lit.”
Jane* (30) says she doesn’t feel safe when walking alone at night and says that on the majority of her journeys she would be “followed, stared at or called after”.
She says women go through so many steps to feel safer because of a culture of victim blaming that sees them bearing the responsibility of any incident “as if there is no controlling the men”. “It’s like it’s a given, and we have to adjust to that.”
In addition to changing their behaviour, Jane says women go through physical changes to appear “less inviting” such as developing a ‘resting b*tch face’. Jane says that she even cut off all her hair at the age of 19.
“Even though I was gay, I would still get a lot of attention from men and I thought if I made myself not conventionally attractive to men, it would help avoid their attention.”
Over the last few years, Jane says that, as she has experienced fewer incidents, she has been doing things women are advised not to do, such as travelling on her own.
“I very proactively avoid feeling limited by this issue,” she says. “With that comes confidence - the more you do it and the less bad things happen, you realise how unfortunate what happened to you was.
“I refuse to avoid doing the things I enjoy because of the fear. I have learned I can be safe.”
*Names changed to protect anonymity.
If you have been sexually assaulted or experienced sexual harassment, you can contact:
Dewberry House (Sexual Assault Referral Centre), 6 Plaisance Terrace, La Route Du Fort. Email: dewberryhouse@gov.je Telephone: 01534 888222
Jersey Action Against Rape Email: help@jaar.je Confidential helpline: 01534 482800
Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) (Specialist advisors providing tailored support to victims and survivors of sexual violence) Telephone: 01534 880505
"It's almost a part of life, it's shocking"
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.