AIBU To be excessively worried about DD’s safety as she leaves for university?

[MimiGC]

My DD has grown up in a small, very safe town. She’s a sensible girl, but never really had to be overly concerned for her safety on the streets before - public transport isn’t great here, so we’ve often given her lifts late at night. She’s now about to go to a big city (Birmingham) and I’m so worried for her. Obviously what you see in the media is always the worst of a place and I know I need to get things in perspective a bit more. I am thinking of getting her a personal alarm, for when she she’s walking home in the dark. AIBU?
If your DD has been to university in Birmingham, can you put my mind at rest?

Are you on glue? Birmingham is a top 12 RG university and 68th in the world. It has some of the highest entrance requirements in the UK.

Birmingham is as safe as any other city. As long as she’s sensible she’ll be fine.

Ah right! We live in Bournville. It’s the loveliest place, honestly - just down the road from BCU’s drama school. My 11 year old DD walks over to friends’ houses etc all the time, and I never feel unsafe out at night. Bournville is really special, and it’s next door to selly oak which is full of student housing etc.

Town(that’s what we call the city centre) is obviously a different world and the conservatoire isn’t in the nicest bit but again it’s like any other city.
You can always get an uber any hour of day or night round here.

So you can stereotype but you don't like the same being done to you. Yep, small minded.

And there is the voice of reason in all this madness 🥰

Indeed!

How have I stereotyped?

Presuming that somebody watches a news channel you don't like. Making them something you take them to be. It's the usual tactic.

My daughter went to Birmingham, yes,it has rough places,like every other city.
But nothing bad happened in the city, her uni boyfriend beating the crap out of her was bad though ...shes more at danger from a partner than a random male.

🥱

It's a change of pace but if she's sensible the likelihood she'll be absolutely fine.

My DD went from seaside town, to Bristol and is off to London to do her Masters in a couple of weeks.

The only issue she had was with a bloke she was actually on date with (they went back to her flat for him to use the loo and he got a bit handsy - luckily one of her housemates was in and sent him packing when he got a bit persistent). Has never had issues on nights out.

The 'Bristol Rules' are widely promoted all over the city and a good basis for any city dwelling uni student.

I have been to Naples on my own, loved it and I don't speak much Italian either. I would definitely say Birmingham is rougher than Naples. So the relative positions in the list are about right.

Is it fuck!!!

I presume you did not wander off the tourist track in Naples...

Friends or licenced taxis.

The area around the main station is rough. There is a wall in Naples that I remember is in Journey to Italy, one of my favourite films.

As in all big cities but I doubt you went to the outlying areas.

The homicide rate in Birmingham is higher than in Naples. 1.6 vs 1.2 per 100k.

I came from a small rural village, went off to uni in a big city, and had no issues taing the usual precautions that uni etc reinforce. You can't keep her home or stop her making her own mistakes; point her in the right direction ie, don't leave a drink unattended, walk home with other students or friends where possible etc.

I lecture at Manchester, sometimes don’t finish till 9pm so walk through the city late and it’s perfectly safe. I’ve honestly never felt in danger, same for London, Leeds, Oxford, Sheffield. Can’t say the same about Birmingham I’m afraid, it put me on edge.

I also have no clue how or why Naples got dragged into this but I felt safer in Naples than Birmingham too.

It is but there’s a large police and military presence so nothing is happening to you. Even Scampia is fairly safe now. It’s changed a lot.

Naples has actual slums.This is a faintly ridiculous comparison when discussing a student headed to a major UK city for study.

The murder rate in Birmingham has dropped since 2018. It mostly involves gang related crime unlikely to affect a student. I can't find your 'higher than Naples' figure.

Students need to be more concerned about car thefts and muggings as well as the drink spiking prevalent in all university towns, unfortunately.

And Birmingham doesn't't?

Shanty towns? No.

Just mountains of rubbish with rats running around due to the bin strike and the fly tipping