The recent case of U.K. citizen Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old female who was kidnapped and murdered by a police officer, has been a major spark in a movement advocating for women’s safety. Although violence against women has been going on for years, this case especially has brought tons of media attention because of the precautions Sarah took while walking home and because the killer was a police officer.

Growing up in the world nowadays, myself and many other women have been condemned to take safety measures, such as carrying around pepper spray or not walking alone at night. It’s almost always to keep ourselves safe from men.

Why should that be the case?

More and more people are realizing that women shouldn’t have to be taught how to behave in society to keep themselves safe but rather to better educate men. Instead of teaching women to be scared of men, society should be more focused on the men who are causing these horrific realities for women.

Of course, learning how to protect and defend yourself is a valuable skill that everyone should learn, and taking precautions is never a bad thing. Many women carry around self-defense tools and know different safety protocols, such as having one’s phone location available to close friends and family, walking in groups or pairs, staying in public areas and knowing numbers to call in case of an emergency.

However, Sarah Everard was doing everything right, too.

She was walking home in a public area and wearing bright colors. She had called her boyfriend on her walk home to let him know of her location and that she was almost home. Sarah’s life was taken by a police officer, someone who should be a trusted public official. Wayne Couzens is a police officer, father and husband, but still was just one of the many men who have committed a violent crime against a woman.

A new trend on social media has surfaced based on research that found that 97% of women have experienced some sort of violence, harassment or indecency from men. Whether that be rape or verbal harassment, that number is horrifying and should have never gotten that high. Women of all ages are coming forward with their stories on various social media platforms to bring awareness to the issue and to highlight that it really is a problem for the majority of women.

Many people are advocating for the motto “educate your sons,” instead of the previous motto, “protect your daughters.” Women are often not the ones initiating the violent and harassing behavior, so it is important to target the root of the problem, which is men.

A call to action and real changes need to take place in the legal system, as well as in terms of law enforcement on all sides of the issue. Police and law officials need better training and how to handle these situations. Victim blaming should not even be a thought for anyone dealing with a woman coming to them for help or to hold someone accountable. Too many times men have gotten away without rape, sexual harassment or violence charges because of the blatant sexism of the law. People are afraid of the man’s life getting ruined even though he has already ruined the life of a woman.

It is 2021 and there is no reason for this to be occurring. We are too far advanced as a society to still have sexual, physical and mental violence against women, and yet it often slides by without any repercussions. Men need to be held accountable for their actions and be aware and educated on this topic from a young age.

The main issue is not all about protecting women, but educating men. We cannot continue to move forward and progress from this major issue without taking a look at the root of the problem. As a young college female, I fear for myself quite often and always am very precautious, which is unfortunate because I should be able to enjoy the college experience without fear of harassment or violence.

There are many educational resources about this topic and ways one can help contribute, like signing petitions, joining protests or calling your state senators.

This issue will not disappear overnight, so it is up to everyone to be present and active on this issue and to say something or call someone if you witness an issue happening.

Society needs everyone’s help in order to bring more law enforcement regulations to this issue and continue to fight for justice for the 97% of women who have been affected, those who we know who have been affected, and those fearful of the possibility.

Macy Berendsen can be reached at macyberendsen@stthomas.edu.