Local Woman Takes Action to Improve Safety After Harassment on Morning Run
A local woman, Kate*, has taken action to improve personal safety after being harassed and stalked on an early morning run south of Brisbane. She has organized a personal safety workshop in partnership with safety advocate Danielle Godfrey.
Local Woman Takes Matters into Own Hands After Harassment on Morning Run
A traumatic experience on an early morning run has prompted a local woman, Kate*, to take action and organize a personal safety workshop. The incident, which occurred south of Brisbane earlier this year, left Kate shaken and upset.
"It was extremely traumatic ... so I decided just to move forward and try and put it behind me and focus on the positives rather than trying to focus on the negative," Kate said.
Kate reported the incident to police but ultimately withdrew her complaint. However, an overwhelming response to her online post about the experience, which included harrowing statistics on sexual violence, motivated her to act.
"Women deserve to be able to run or just exist outside and feel safe," Kate said. "So, while the onus doesn't rest on women to make themselves safer, there's certain things they can do ... to learn techniques on how to be safer when they're out on their own."
Teaming Up with a Safety Advocate
Kate has partnered with Danielle Godfrey, a former police officer turned safety advocate, who runs personal safety workshops across the country.
"Before the self-defence moves, before any of the physical stuff, there's a lot of steps," Ms Godfrey explained. "Hopefully by thinking – awareness – then yelling, using your voice. Then running – creating distance – you actually never have to get to that fight situation."
Ms Godfrey emphasized that her workshops focus on empowering women with knowledge and practical skills to avoid and escape unsafe situations.
A Holistic Approach to Safety
Public health researcher Tracy Kolbe-Alexander noted that self-defence can help women feel like they're taking back control, but stressed that improving women's safety requires a broader approach.
"I think we need to be cautious [of making] women responsible for safety and their safety, so I would say it's a whole of society approach," she said. "We need our boys and men to become aware of the challenges we face when we're going to be physically active."
A Queensland Police Service spokesperson stated that they investigate all reports of suspicious behavior and are committed to ensuring the community is and feels safe.