Most women have felt unsafe at one time or another while walking around a city — and consequently, have made changes to their behaviour and movements.
Catching the earlier train to avoid walking home late at night. Steering clear of certain streets. Avoiding eye contact at bus stops. It’s an unwritten rule of sorts – something women do, but don’t often speak about openly.
Enter Free To Be – an online interactive map giving young Australian women the opportunity to speak up, share their experiences, and reclaim their city.
Created by Plan International Australia and Crowdspot, Free To Be is a campaign to ensure women’s voices are heard in the conversation around creating safe cities.
Listen to our Mamamia Outloud team debate women and safety in public spaces. (Post continues after audio)
The map of Melbourne allows anyone to drop a pin at a location and describe their experience — like 16-year-old Carly, who was sexually harassed as she walked down a busy street.
“Three guys in their twenties walked past me. I saw them looking me up and down, then one of them reached out and grabbed my butt as he walked past,” Carly, an ambassador for the campaign, said.
Since that incident, Carly said she made an effort to glare at people so they would avoid her and constantly thought, ‘What can I change?’
“I know I’m going out of my way to avoid scenarios where I will be talked to or touched inappropriately. But I just think about it as a way to survive,” she says.
Women can feel unsafe without ever being assaulted, like Carlton resident Idil.
