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How to stay/feel safe as a young woman in London?

moved to east London recently for uni and have been paranoid a lot, many creepy guys about, being stared at everywhere I go even in joggers and when I'm blackout drunk on campus or at a bar I can't trust myself. today I got approached by like 10 old men at the broad hour of 2pm and they wouldn't leave me alone. I feel like I can't look nice anywhere outside of the uni because I get so scared. anyone else feeling like this

Reply 1

cvgk

If something happens call police you are living in London not Afghanistan, you can move to safer place such as west london ,south west london etc..

Reply 2

candidate415

Buy a keychain alarm. Its great because its small enough to fit in your hand but loud enough to scare them away.

Reply 3

heidi03

Original post by cvgk

If something happens call police you are living in London not Afghanistan, you can move to safer place such as west london ,south west london etc..

What a wildly inconsiderate and ignorant answer. Can most definitely tell you aren't the audience for this post.

Reply 4

Anonymous #2

Wow your area sounds particularly rough perhaps, i lived there for a few years as a young woman and never had this much issues. Would you consider moving elsewhere? You should be able to dress and do what you like, however you always need to be careful about being drunk and in a vulnerable position, or being out late at night regardless oof where you are. Take an uber rather than walking home especially after nights out, even if just from ur local tube station to home.

Reply 5

cvgk

Original post by heidi03

What a wildly inconsiderate and ignorant answer. Can most definitely tell you aren't the audience for this post.

write what is your solution it is the best solution for me, If you know something better share with us.

Reply 6

Little pecker

Think you’ve got bigger problems, everyone else is at greater risk of getting attacked.

Other than that don’t leave your house.

Reply 7

heidi03

Original post by cvgk

write what is your solution it is the best solution for me, If you know something better share with us.

Ultimately, there isn't a solution, hence why I didn't say one. You can't feel safe somewhere where you're not safe.

Reply 8

londonmyst

Always trust your gut instinct and listen to what your common sense is telling you. :smile:

You need to put your health and safety first.
Keep your wits about you and try to avoid areas with very poor lighting or notoriously high levels of antisocial behaviour.
Stay in control your alcohol consumption and avoid being drunk outside of your home because it will slow down your reflexes- making you very vulnerable to all manner of criminals, creeps and scammers.

Have you considered learning some martial arts or taking up self-defence classes?
These may help you to feel more confident going out alone, knowing that any criminal or antisocial jerk that targets you will end up with a lot more than they bargain for.
Good luck!

Reply 9

Anewlight

You can't feel safe if you are not safe, trust your instincts. There have been too many dangerous situations out there, your feelings are valid. Can you move to a different area where you feel more comfortable?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/sep/26/when-will-women-feel-safe-on-uk-streets

Reply 10

The RAR

London is a ****hole. There are certainly many areas and "ghettos" which have very shady and rude people, East London is full of them. Do not rely on the police, the Met is already dealing with a huge number of nuisances so response times are ****.
The only thing you can rely on is your gut, if you have friends consider walking with them, you are much less likely to get attacked in numbers. Do not take any short cuts or paths that are very secluded or have very little to no lighting\CCTV. Try to take the tube over a bus if you can, it's safer to wait at a station where there are staff, lights and CCTV everywhere than at a bus stop where there is almost none of that.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 11

Coventry University Student Ambassadors

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

It's scary being eyed up like that because you want to express yourself and it's creepy as when it's people you don't know who are significantly much older than you!

I suggest focusing on what you can control and don't let strangers spoil your day. Those people are often rude and seem to have no apparent self-awareness of how they come across, especially when they think what they're doing is perfectly acceptable in today's society. Try not to pay attention to them and continue going about your day. Think about things you're looking forward to. The more you give yourself room to think about what they're doing, the more unwanted attraction you get.
You can invest in a rape alarm, which can come in handy and are annoyingly loud. Take up self-defence classes to support yourself in case something happens to you. Make sure to stay in public where there are many people, and take note of important numbers or photos to inform your friends in case you worry something might happen.

Stay safe and keep doing you!

Veronica
Student Ambassador