Belfast Women Call for Action on Street Safety

Young women have shared their experiences of feeling insecure on Belfast’s streets during an event designed to highlight violence against women and girls. Approximately 500 individuals participated in the march, which was organized by Walkie Talkie Girlies, a Queen’s University society. One student remarked, “You need to let people know where you are and stick together because that’s the best way to keep safe, that’s what Walkie Talkie Girlies are trying to do.” The participants walked from Queen’s University to Belfast City Hall, which was illuminated in pink to emphasize the dangers faced by women and girls. Student Abi Dynan stated that she and her friends share their phone locations and remain together on nights out. She explained: “You need to let people know where you are and stick together because that’s the best way to keep safe and that’s why I, and all our friends, have our locations shared with each other, whenever we are out we never leave each other, even if someone wants to go home early.” She further added, “You need to let people know where you are and stick together because that’s the best way to keep safe and that’s what Walkie Talkie Girlies are trying to do.” When questioned by BBC News NI about existing strategies for protecting women and girls, she commented that “the ending violence strategy had some great sentiment but until events like this happen, where you can get the attention of people that need to take notice, nothing will happen.” Plans for such strategies were initiated before recent incidents in Londonderry where women were attacked in public. Shauna McKey and Aisling Cannon, both law students, noted that women are currently compelled to take precautions to safeguard themselves against harassment and violence. Aisling detailed: “Even just sharing your location with friends, where you’re going to be, estimated times of when you’re going to get there, carrying a personal safety alarm.” She continued, “Also trying not to walk by yourself. These are the things you have to do as a woman to make yourself feel safer. This is what is happening, this is the reality for a lot of people.” Shauna McKey indicated that safety is a constant consideration for her. “When it does come into the darker nights and it’s cold and you have your hood up, you’re glancing around to make sure nobody’s following you, you’re panicking a bit.” She added, “I commute to and from university and walking in the darker nights, it is scary.” In light of recent events, some individuals, including Winona, deem it essential to join organizations like Walkie Talkie Girlies. Winona stated, “The news that Belfast was the most violent city in Europe made me inclined to do something about it, so when I heard about this event happening, I knew I had to go.” She told BBC News NI that “when you see these things in the news, you don’t want to become part of a statistic.” Shonagh Gill, also a student, informed BBC News NI that she must remain alert regardless of the situation. She remarked, “It’s definitely something I’ve become more conscious of, like even tonight I’m wondering how am I going to get home tonight by myself.” Having moved to Belfast from Donegal, she observed that the issue became more prominent after her relocation, explaining that “growing up it was one of those things to always be aware and then you get out and things happen, you’re like well he’s just being overly friendly but that’s not normal.” She concluded, “Even just passing comments or a wolf-whistle walking down the streets, it shouldn’t be normalised.”