| Good evening, It always lands on women doesn’t it? The underlying, largely unspoken, narrative is that a woman should not put herself at risk by walking home alone, showing skin, or behaving in a certain way. It’s a warning implied from childhood; avoid stranger danger, avoid the dark, choose a crowd. It is absolutely a necessary one but it shouldn’t have to be. As the former police officer who murdered Sarah Everard faces life in jail, her family mourns. Her mother’s impact statement pleads with the memory of her daughter, “Don’t get in the car Sarah, don’t believe him, run!!” She is rightly “incandescent with rage”. But Sarah’s story is the story of many lost women, lost to male violence, in a world where victim-blaming is so deeply ingrained in society, legal defence teams look for blame - she was wearing a tight top, yer honour.
It’s an uncomfortable reality for men, that they hold the power to make women feel afraid. It may only be a minority who offend but it's important to know why a lone woman crosses the road when she sees you. Maybe next time you do the crossing.
It's a very special night tonight as JPI Media celebrates the Best of Lancashire in our inaugural awards. The shortlist is online HERE and we will share all the winners in the next few days. Good luck to everyone on the shortlist. Regards, Nicola nicola.adam@jpimedia.co.uk | 
