A Baroness Suggests A 6pm Curfew For Men In Light Of The Sara Everard Case

Baroness Jenny Jones of the Green Party had a suggestion to make in the House of Lords. She announced that men should be placed on a 6 pm curfew in order to make women feel safer in public spaces.

This announcement came after the tragic disappearance of Sara Everard, 33, in London. The disappearance and alleged murder of Ms. Everard has sparked debate regarding women’s safety in the country.

You can read more about her disappearance here. 

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When criticised for her suggestion, she has doubled down and said that men "don’t understand the pressure women are under.”

She did however later admit that her suggestions weren't 'entirely serious’ since she didn’t really have the power to put such a ban in place. What she did say was that she wanted to make a point.

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She also claimed that her point was made in order to point out the contrast between men and women where "Nobody makes a fuss when the police suggest women stay at home, but when I suggest it, men are up in arms."

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One government source said her suggestions were completely ‘bonkers.’ They further said that the ban would be "massive curtailing of basic freedoms and rights" and would never work.

After Sara Everard’s disappearance, a Met Police officer was arrested in connection with her case. It is not yet clear whether any charges have been brought forward at this time.

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"I was just trying to highlight that when police victim-blame by telling women to stay home, we don't react, we just think it's normal."

"When I suggest it about men, everyone's up in arms. What's the difference? The difference is that there's misogyny out there. We need to fix it." 

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Caroline Nokes, a Tory MP & Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee said with regard to the matter, "You can't go around slapping curfews on one gender…Any solution to the real fear that women feel is going to have to be a lot more complex than that.”

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She also added that although the solution was a mad one, it had sparked a debate as to whether more practical steps need to be taken in order to make women safer on the streets.

Baroness Jones however was committed to her suggestion.  "If anyone is being advised to stay at home it should be men, not women. We need to make misogyny a hate crime, as that would get the root of many of these other crimes."

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Women have since come forward with their own terrifying stories of being followed by men and feeling unsafe on the streets. #curfewformen has now started trending on Twitter.

A Welsh Minister also addressed the situation and reiterated that a curfew was not being officially considered.

While most of the conversation around the subject has been a difficult one, some have managed to find humour in the situation.

Others however haven't taken the situation as lightly as others. 

MP Nokes however also urged people not to derail the conversation from Sarah.

Note: This is a developing story.