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Original poster

What ideas would help improve women and girls’ safety day to day?

132 replies

girlfriend44 · 21/08/2026 20:06

Ladies and girls safety ideas/ Chat.

Just a brainstorming chat.

What would ladies like to see set up or like to see that helps women and their safety.

The ladies taxi service is a good one. I don't see any lady taxi drivers though. I'm.not sure they want to do it in a big way?
Would any of you want to do it?
Think there are already female only gyms not sure? We've got ask Angela in some venues for help.

How about a messaging app where you can message or text another lady on your journey home to say your safe and your home, your in the taxi etc, just a reassuring thing.

I guess people can already do that and text friends and family. Would there be any need for a separate service?
Do all ladies tell all friends and family what they are doing all the time?

What would you like to see out there?
What do you think ladies would use?

I love to try and think stuff up or see what people would use.

There is so much around ladies and girls safety today?

OP posts:
Sunshineandgrapefruit · 26/08/2026 07:07

Yup. Education campaign from nursery through school, Uni, workplaces and bis all forms of media to educate boys and men.

Raspbellies · 26/08/2026 07:18

Turning the streetlights back up would be a start. Hampshire turned the lights down two years ago and it's so dark that it's stopped me going out in winter evenings to the gym. There's not a soul out there on the footpaths and it got too creepy for me.

Purpl · 26/08/2026 07:20

Build more prisons harsher sentences and no early release because there is space. Appreciate prison doesn’t rehabilitate properly but noone has come up with better idea in forever. Dubai is far from great but people are too scared to misbehave there or engage in petty theft. Harsher punishments for under 18s too as i feel a lot of problems are very much start there. They commit crimes because they know nothing will happen to them. What has happened to the victims quality of life.

SomeoneIsWrongOnTheInternet · 26/08/2026 08:09

MaturingCheeseball · 25/08/2026 20:43

It is not a question of “painting women as increasingly helpless” - women are helpless in the face of a man with ill-intent. Otherwise we’re back to the old thing of why can’t trans men participate in women’s sport. Because even a weedy man has more power than a muscly woman!

And as for women warriors - yes, maybe in a tribe with weapons against a few men - but one woman - however warrior-like - nope, not a chance against a gang of rapists.

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No one, male or female, has a chance on their own against a gang. We used to call ganging up on lone people cowardly and call for a fair fight.

Somehow the British idea of fairness has vanished. I blame neoliberalism for that change of values, to enshrining the ability to exploit as a value and the ‘brilliance’ of having the power to do it. If you could change that fundamental value op it would help.

SomeoneIsWrongOnTheInternet · 26/08/2026 08:18

I mean the idea that ‘might is right’. It’s back and has been since Blair’s times, and is only growing worse.

thisismeithinkorisit · 26/08/2026 18:54

Persephonia1966 · 25/08/2026 23:41

So if you feel menaced by a man at what point do you pull your gun out of your handbag? Or do you enter every room in full combat readiness, sweeping the area for threats gun drawn before declaring the area clear and holstering your weapon? Guns are a good long range weapon. At close distances they are worse than useless because they can be grabbed and used against you. While it's rare for UK police to carry weapons those that do are expected to keep people out of gun grabbing range for that reason.
In real life, potential abductors don't say "stand and deliver I shall now kidnap you" from a distance and then wait politely for you to pull your gun from your handbag/ankle holster etc. Or start running at you from a distance zombie style. The threat level to draw and then use a gun has to be very high and even then most people need extensive training to be able to do it smoothly and successfully. It's not just a case of learning to shoot at targets. By the time that threat level has been reached, the potential attacker is too close anyway.

Even learning how to scream loudly in a bad situation or to kick someone is hard for many women. Partly because we are socialised to be polite and not make a scene. The best defense training works at overriding this:

  1. Not getting into an elevator with someone you have a bad feeling about because you don't want to be rude
  2. Being confident enough to defend your personal space by loudly saying get back from me, knocking arms away
  3. Screaming or shouting without feeling bad for "making a scene"
  4. Kicking someone in the balls hard enough to hurt them while shouting

None of these come naturally to many people.

I think "drawing a gun and pointing it in someone's face" is an extreme, last resort action and having it as the primary answer to a threat is a bad idea because the threshold for doing it is so high. By the time you actually reach the "threat bad enough to shoot someone" stage it's probably too late to reliably shoot them. I'm not saying no woman should ever carry a gun. I'm not ideologically opposed to guns. But holding them up as the best way to keep women safe is to misunderstand the threats facing women and how they present themselves.

Edited
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Exactly and what level of collateral is OK?

The women who have their guns taken off them and used against them?

The small number of men in heterosexual relationships who are the victims of DV?
The guy you decided was the wring skin colour so he MUST have been about to do something?
The guy who just happened to look at you funny or went to grab something from his bag? The guy who happens to get off your stop and walk the same way at night?

And what are we allowing murder for? Clear intent to rape / murder / seriously harm, obv. But what about sexual assault below that? Do you kill before it might escalate? A creepy comment that might escalate? A cat call or "banter" because you don't know? A partner who throw a plate across the room cos next time it might be worse? Or who shouts at you? Or who is nasty to you?

It's setting women up to fail whilst also giving men an excuse to escalate because they know women are capable of shooting them

Persephonia1966 · 26/08/2026 20:19

thisismeithinkorisit · 26/08/2026 18:54

Exactly and what level of collateral is OK?

The women who have their guns taken off them and used against them?

The small number of men in heterosexual relationships who are the victims of DV?
The guy you decided was the wring skin colour so he MUST have been about to do something?
The guy who just happened to look at you funny or went to grab something from his bag? The guy who happens to get off your stop and walk the same way at night?

And what are we allowing murder for? Clear intent to rape / murder / seriously harm, obv. But what about sexual assault below that? Do you kill before it might escalate? A creepy comment that might escalate? A cat call or "banter" because you don't know? A partner who throw a plate across the room cos next time it might be worse? Or who shouts at you? Or who is nasty to you?

It's setting women up to fail whilst also giving men an excuse to escalate because they know women are capable of shooting them

Show quote history

Exactly. And then "well why didn't you shoot him before he attacked you" as a new type of victim blaming.

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