What do people think of this: number where someone will talk you home from a night out…

[AlternativePerspective]

‘Hi, thanks for calling. Are you OK? How far away are you?’ www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-60055916

Saw this on the bbc yesterday and not sure what to think.

Would you call it?

Disgusted but not surprised we need such a service

I'd call it, I used to ring my dad when scared so this is effectively the same for people that don't have someone else to call.

Of course it shouldn't be needed. But it is, especially when councils are saving money by cutting down on street lighting.

I call my husband in these situations but if I didn't have someone to call I'd definitely use it. It shouldn't be needed but the reality is that it is.

It doesn't make us any safer of course. It might make us more vulnerable to being mugged. What's it for? To locate a body? God.

I don't think it makes us safer, but I think it would make me feel far less anxious so yes, I'd absolutely use it. Especially as we have a super creepy walk from the local station to our village with zero street lights.

Perhaps men could call a helpline when they feel the desire to rape / murder a random woman 🤔

I understand it's well meaning, but I wouldn't use it.

Honestly I’d rather not be chatting to anyone and remain more aware of what’s going on around me. I tend to keep headphones in to pretend I am listening to music (and ignore any creep that tries to get my attention) but don’t have anything switched on so I am not distracted.

The more tools to help protect my family and I, the better, surely.

I seem to recall a couple of years or so back, that a group of male students got together and set up a group to ensure that the female students got to and fro, and around their campus safely in the dark.
I can't remember just which university it was, but hats off to those thoughtful young men
I like this idea of a phone pal. Even if it only makes the lone female feel a little more confident.
It shouldn't have to be this way, but sadly it is.

Crap that we need this sort of thing but I would use it

I also don't think that it deserves to be slated. If someone is willing to give their time freely to assist then it doesn't deserve negativity.

@NutellaEllaElla

It doesn't make us any safer of course. It might make us more vulnerable to being mugged. What's it for? To locate a body? God.

That's all it can effectively do, I agree. Might make some women feel a bit less anxious but cannot prevent an attack.

Sticking plaster over the problem of women’s safety and again it’s women who need to act, women who should be inconvenienced.

Track men when they’re out, not women. Most violent crime vs men and women is committed by men. So why not a voluntary tracking option for men? Prove they went straight home, keep them safer? But no. Its not even for anyone alone, it’s for women.

Who is vetting these call handlers, I’m giving info about where I am, or my house is empty…..
It’s another thing tracking me and mapping my movement that can be hacked, that men won’t have to think about.
It doesn’t prevent someone randomly attacking me in fact I’m more vulnerable because I’m distracted on a call
If I’m attacked and I haven’t called the bloody number no doubt it will be ‘my fault’ and not the mugger/rapist’s.
Will it be expected that if all lines are busy I don’t start my journey?

It’s shit. We are not tackling this problem because we won’t curtail the freedom of the potential aggressor so we curtail the potential victims and blame them.

@NutellaEllaElla I understand what you're saying, but what is your practical answer then?
If it makes a lone female feel a little safer, then what's your problem with it?

Only last year I phoned my adult ds when I was walking home from somewhere late in the evening and hadn't really thought it through and I started to feel nervous as I got close to a shortcut path I normally use in the day, and realised I couldn't see the other end and I just felt really vulnerable.
I was luck, I had an adult son that I could call and tell him exactly where I was and have him keep listening to me until I got home. Lots of people won't.

I mean, I hope it is as well regulated as they are saying, and it can't be infiltrated by someone wanting to find out where lots of people live alone......

As the article says - it isn't perfect, but it is one more option than there was before they started it.

It doesn't make us any safer of course. It might make us more vulnerable to being mugged. What's it for? To locate a body? God.

Partly about perception, but, should it ever come down to it, someone would know you'd been attacked as it happen and call 999 at that point, giving a better chance of police being able to get to you, than if no-one even knows you are missing for another 8, 10, 12, 24 hours.

Surely it will make women LESS safe? As I understand it the advice is NOT to walk along talking on your phone because you will be less aware of your surroundings.

My friend’s son was mugged while talking to her on the phone, there was nothing she could do.

I appreciate the thought here but it’s a terrible idea.

I don’t think I’d use it, as I’d prefer to stay aware of the situation around me whilst walking and I think I’d get distracted if I was on the phone. Having said that, I totally understand why people would use it though.

Also, I’m not sure how this helpline would have prevented the terrible events involving women we’ve heard about in the news over the last couple of years. My feeling is that everything happened so quickly and suddenly that I’m not sure what good being on the phone would’ve done for the women involved. One of the things I find particularly upsetting about what happened to Sarah Everard is the fact she was on the phone to her partner minutes before she was abducted.

[quote Norgie]@NutellaEllaElla I understand what you're saying, but what is your practical answer then?
If it makes a lone female feel a little safer, then what's your problem with it?[/quote]
Well increased policing for a start, street lighting, CCTV. I'm no expert but there's 3.

What's the good of feeling safer if you are not?
It might increase women's risk by making them less aware of their surroundings and highlighting their valuable mobile phones.
I don't know if this is better than nothing.

I've done this with parents & boyfriends for decades. My thinking is of anything happened at least they would narrow the timeline sharpish.

But you need to weigh up the fact the often people on the phone are more of a victim as they are less aware.

See this is why I’m not sure what to think.

On the one hand most of us have probably talked to someone on our way home. But on the other hand,by being distracted you are potentially making yourself more vulnerable. And what do they talk about?

Also, who is vetting these people? Are they DBS checked? Do they have secure systems for logging personal details? Are they signed up to GDPR?

The idea that I might be giving out my name, address, description of what I look like and what I’m wearing to a complete stranger doesn’t fill me with confidence TBH.

I don't think it would make me feel safer. I've lived alone for a couple of decades, and I don't think I've ever phoned anyone while walking home. I don't think being distracted by the phone would help me. Beware of my surroundings would.

But I can also see that if there's wide take-up, then women who are attacked will still be blamed for it. (It wouldn't have happened, if she hadn't been less aware because of being on the phone/ it would have happened, if she'd used that service and someone knew where she was.)

It makes me furious. Yet more paternalistic measures to ‘protect all women’ and nothing done to restrict the ones who are out there stalking, raping, murdering and attacking us and making us feel unsafe.

@GCITC Disgusted that we need it yes - but I have to say that I'm glad it's available!

Wouldn't make a difference to how safe I felt walking alone.

I guess we can go ahead and add "why didn't she ring the helpline?" to the list of reasons to blame woman for being attacked/raped/killed rather than, y'know, actually tackling the problem.