Peer Jenny Jones calls for 6pm curfew for men
12 March 2021, 07:51 | Updated: 12 March 2021, 09:34
A member of the House of Lords suggested men should adhere to a 6pm curfew in order to keep women safe.
Baroness Jenny Jones, a Green Party peer, said the case of Sarah Everard had brought to the fore the issue of women's safety.
She told the House of Lords: “I would argue that at the next opportunity for a bill that is appropriate, I might actually put in an amendment to create a curfew for men on the streets after 6pm, which I feel will make women much safer, and discrimination of all kinds would be lessened.”
After she spoke she tweeted to say she had faced a "deluge of misogynistic emails and tweets."
READ MORE: Sarah Everard: Police watchdog investigates Met response to indecent exposure allegation
"Since my comments about a curfew for men to keep women safe, I've had a deluge of misogynistic emails and tweets. Which rather proves my point about the problem being with men..." she wrote online.
She later clarified to LBC that her remarks were made in an ironic way, after south London police told women "not to go out alone" and no one seemed to "bat an eyelid."
The Baroness pointed out to Nick Ferrari that saying the same about men caused an outcry.
A Government minister said today: "Better education for men about issues of harassment was "certainly something to look at again," but "not all men were predators."
Michelle Donelan, minister of state for universities, said the case of Sarah Everard was a "rare incident" but that everybody, "whether man or woman" should feel safe walking down the street.
"I do want to assure women that our streets on the whole are safe but this is a rare incident and the Government is committed to this agenda," she said.
Today, Home Secretary Priti Patel sought to reassure the public over the integrity and dedication of police after the arrest of a serving officer on suspicion of Sarah Everard's murder.
The officer, who is in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, remains in custody after being detained on suspicion of the murder and kidnapping of Ms Everard, and on a separate allegation of indecent exposure.
Writing in The Sun, Ms Patel said while such "awful" incidents are rare, they are also extremely worrying because they remind women everywhere "of the steps we all take on a daily basis, without a second thought, to keep ourselves safe".
She said these concerns had been compounded by the fact the man arrested in this case was a serving officer, but said the "vast majority" of police personnel were people of the highest integrity.
