We should have women-only times in Scotland's parks

Article here. Excerpt:

'I am deeply invested in how we make society safer and was interested in recent, frankly unsurprising, research which found that women felt very unsafe in parks.

As I say, this is hardly a shocker for any woman who's found herself unexpectedly on an empty stretch of road or one with a few broken streetlights. Their recommendations are that women should be involved in the design and planning of parks, which would incorporate more lighting, lower hedges and ‘escape routes’. In Berlin, they've taken it one step further and are campaigning for a dedicated Feminist Park.

Of course, the inherent problem with this, is that it once again lays all the responsibility on the woman. We must redesign our parks. We must design our own escape routes. We must campaign to be considered in planning so our public spaces can be used equally by us. When, in fact, the impetus should be on educating men and raising our boys to not condone sexual or physical violence or threats, to not observe it soundlessly and to not perpetuate that misogyny.

In Police Scotland’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy 2023, I was happy to see them acknowledge, ‘Perpetrators are the sole cause of violence against women and girls. Therefore, we will continue to challenge the harmful attitudes and behaviours of men which perpetuate violence and abuse.’ And I will be waiting to see if strategy becomes action.'