UNIVERSITY of Worcester is calling for a "rejection of victim blaming" over violence against women in the wake of murder of Sarah Everard and Reclaim the Streets movement.
The university has the Bystander Intervention Programme which it says "has seen several hundreds of students trained to spot and intervene in matters of violence or harassment".
The public outcry came after Sarah Everard disappeared on March 3 while walking back to her home in Brixton, south London and was later found dead. Serving police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with her murder.
Protestors have since taken to the streets to highlight the need for women to feel safe wherever they are and the police response to gatherings and vigils, which breach Covid-19 lockdown protocols, have been criticised.
Dr Gill Harrop, senior lecturer in forensic psychology who runs the Bystander Intervention Programme, said: “Women are taught from a young age that it’s our responsibility to spot the risks and protect ourselves from harm.
"Whether that means holding our keys between our fingers as we walk home, not walking alone in the dark, not drinking too much, the list of don'ts goes on and on and the upshot is that the blame ends up being placed firmly on women to keep ourselves safe rather than on the perpetrators of the violence.
"The tragic case of Sarah Everard highlighted this. It took only minutes after her disappearance being reported in the press for questions to appear online about why she was walking on her own at night, as if she was somehow to blame for what had happened to her.
“The public outcry to Sarah’s case, and the rejection of victim blaming surrounding it, have sent a clear message. Women and girls want to be safe from abuse or harassment, and stop the victim blaming.
"We need to shift the focus from the victim’s actions to instead look at the perpetrators’ behaviour and the violent actions that they chose to take.
"This cannot just be a women’s problem. It has to be raised and discussed by men as well in order to acknowledge the problem, and commit to stepping up and speaking out against misogyny, violence and abuse. The responsibility is on all of us to call out problematic behaviour, not just those affected by it.
“While the events of the past two weeks have highlighted the huge amount of work that still needs to be done to tackle the issue of violence against women and girls, we’re incredibly proud that the Bystander Intervention Programme can be part of this. We will continue to work towards a future that is free of violence and abuse.”
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