A Twitter user reminded her followers of the unspoken "Girl Code" to help a girl/woman who could potentially be in danger.
Women's safety has always been a topic of discussion that peaks only when there is a public outcry as in the case of the death of Sarah Everard. But women continue to be harassed, stalked, and attacked even as formulating a solution sees no end in sight. Women are twice as likely to be stalked and about one in every six women has experienced stalking in her lifetime, as per the Office of Women's Health. Women have been left to fend for themselves and have come up with many ways to evade danger. Self-defense and confrontation may not be an option for most women who have to find trickier alternatives.
“We are looking at a situation where younger women are constantly modifying their behavior in an attempt to avoid being objectified or attacked, and older women are reporting serious concerns about personal safety if they ever leave the house in the dark – even during the daytime in winter,” Claire Barnett, executive director of UN Women UK told The Guardian. A Twitter user appealed to people to be there for women who may be in danger. The user wrote, "If a girl suddenly acts as if she knows you in public and acts like you’re friends, go along w it she could be in danger." This has been an unspoken "Girl Code" to help a sister in need. Her tweet received many responses of women sharing instances where they helped or were helped by someone in danger.
Been looking for us all over, and they were happy they found us. When they first walked my dad and I were confused, but once they started talking me and my dad instantly played our part, I was their sister, and he was their dad! They kept looking behind them, and seemed nervous
— AmberLUVV (@amberm_am) August 1, 2020
This happened to my son in a subway station. Young lady ran up and grabbed his arm, she was being chased.
— Lisa Coffman (@lrc2009) August 1, 2020
I remember I was 18 when I was on a school trip to Korea. We were staying at a hotel. I enetered the elevator to meet my group downstairs. The elevator was filled with these huge tall white men. (I’m 5’4) Pretty sure they were from Sweden. They were all giving me this extremely-
— AKILI🦂 🇹🇹 (@_SHEERIOS__) August 1, 2020
talking about picking me up and carrying me somewhere. I was glad that he was in there and played along. We got off and they were still staring at me from across the lobby. This was all mid day. This stuff does happen and it’s def scary.
— AKILI🦂 🇹🇹 (@_SHEERIOS__) August 1, 2020
I have actually walked out of a bar to suddenly have a woman latch onto my arm and call me honey. I played along and soon found that some drunk man had been trying to coerce her into a taxi, not taking no for an answer. On seeing me he suddenly stopped addressing her. No regrets.
— Day 🏳️⚧️ (@Dayfiction83) August 1, 2020
She lost her friends and this dude was creeping on her. I told her to take all the time she needs to find her friends. She came back with them later and gave me a big hug for making her feel safe. Would do it again without hesitation.
— 🎄Raeloe🎄 (@RaeloeGaming) August 1, 2020
Globally, one in three women has been subject to physical violence, as per WHO. While most of this violence is by an intimate partner, there are other ways in which women are vulnerable to being attacked. UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated, “Twenty-five years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, progress towards equal power and equal rights for women remains elusive. No country has achieved gender equality, and the COVID-19 crisis threatens to erode the limited gains that have been made. The Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals and efforts to recover better from the pandemic offer a chance to transform the lives of women and girls, today and tomorrow.”
Or YOU could. One time. Woman walked up to me and hugged me and asked how my mom was and then after a couple minutes she whispered she had noticed a man watching/following me and wanted to scare him off. She then walked me to my destination. I was only 14. https://t.co/NAMA8VZzp7
— altadena🌊 (@gleefulthoughts) August 1, 2020
i was getting harrasef in the bus, literally no one fckin batted an eyelash. i was literally shaking, it was super dark i couldn't even get out of the bus until this older woman (the only other lady other than me on the bus) came and sat in front me and pretended like she knew me
— ᴀᴅᴀʀᴀ (@heavenzdisaster) August 1, 2020
Literally this happened to me last year. This man was circling me while I was waiting for my train to work and this lovely lady sat next to me after he followed me into my train car. The way we have to protect each other is so disheartening.
— Tatiana💞✨🧁 (@tis_tati) August 2, 2020
1 time I was walking home from school& I stopped 2 use my phone in the middle of the sidewalk. A lady pulled next to me and started asking me if I was okay and if I needed a way home bc some man was following me for a min& I wasn’t looking. She waited with me until someone came
— crisssy☁️ (@crisscrisssss) August 2, 2020
the replies from men under this show that we really are on our own, and men know exactly how toxic they are. https://t.co/rT3jo0BigN
— plum 🖤🤎 (@plumandmustard) August 1, 2020
Y’all can’t read. The OP did not say leave with them, or put yourself in any kind of danger. You’d also be in PUBLIC; women don’t run to men for help unless brute force is needed. Women understand this because more often than not we end up in situations where men don’t know “no”
— Niggerella DeVil👻 (@champagnegena) August 1, 2020
It’s bc the tweet was not aimed at y’all, I think a lot of the women in the replies knew it was aimed at them but y’all still replying with hateful bullshit.
— Pursuit of Euthymic (@Imonfiyah) August 1, 2020
Have you ever had such an experience?
References:
https://www.womenshealth.gov/relationships-and-safety/other-types/stalking
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women
https://www.un.org/en/desa/world%E2%80%99s-women-2020
Cover Image Source: Twitter/ (R) mxrixm_nk (L)tis_tati
