'Teach boys to respect women,' says Doncaster Council amid Sarah Everard investigation

Doncaster Council has said people should focus on teaching boys to respect women, amid the investigation into the disappearance of Sarah Everard.
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Joining the debate about male attacks on women, in a series of tweets, Doncaster Council, said that locally people can do their bit to make women feel safer on the streets at night.

It said: “It’s not enough to tell women not to walk alone at night. To be ready to run away from danger. To call a friend while they’re walking on their own.

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“Women have been told these things for decades. Maybe we should focus on teaching our boys to respect women.

Sarah Everard went missing in Clapham on March 3.Sarah Everard went missing in Clapham on March 3.
Sarah Everard went missing in Clapham on March 3.

“Are you aware of how unsafe women feel, particularly in this moment? Do you do everything you can to make women feel safe, and to call out aggressive or threatening behaviour?

“We know it’s not just women who experience sexual assault or violence, but we all have a responsibility to recognise that the majority of these victims are women.

“Many women don’t feel safe doing things that most men would consider normal – like walking home, or going for a run.”

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The focus on women’s safety has come under the spotlight in recent days following the arrest of a police officer suspected of murdering Sarah Everard

Ms Everard, 33, was last seen in Clapham, south London, on 3 March.

The case has prompted an outpouring of shock and anger as women across the country share their own experiences of feeling unsafe.

The arrested man, who is in his 40s and works with the Met's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, was taken to hospital on Thursday suffering from head injuries.

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He was treated, discharged and returned to the police station where he is being held after an application to extend his detention was granted at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court.

The Met later said he had sustained the injury while alone in his cell and received immediate first aid.

Ms Everard was last seen on 3 March walking alone down a main road in Clapham at 21:30 GMT, with police saying it was unclear whether she reached her home in Brixton.