Women’s Safety Motion passed at DCC

Dublin City Council last night passed an emergency motion tabled by the Women’s Committee calling on the Council to take action in order to improve the safety of women in the city.  

The all-female group, led by Green Party Councillor Darcy Lonergan, tabled a motion calling on the Council to:

• recognise the design of public spaces and public transport can facilitate violence against women and
• examine measures which can be taken to ensure services under its remit to support safety of women and marginalised groups

The motion passed with unanimous support.

The motion comes in the aftermath of recent incidents which saw the murder of Urantseteg Tserendori in January, and, in London, of Sarah Everard, which sparked an outpouring of rage and widespread recognition that women do not feel safe in public spaces.

In discussing the formation of the motion, members of the Women’s Committee recognised the shared experience of constantly being on alert no matter the time, place, or activity; of taking a longer route home to avoid a particular area; unease when waiting at bus stops; and walking with keys in their hands.

Commenting on the passage of the motion, Cllr. Darcy Lonergan, Chair of the committee, said:

“It’s become the norm for women to have a sense of fear when in certain situations such as walking in the dark & waiting at bus stops.

“This won’t be solved overnight but there are practical measures that we can take to eliminate some of this fear and provide a sense of safety & belonging in our city”.

Cllr. Anne Feeney said she was disappointed in the reply she got following a motion she put forward in December around overgrown trees.

She said “one practical action the Council should take is to identify and cut back overgrown trees that are blocking street lights and creating unsafe dark areas”.

“The response stated that specific action will only be taken where streets are identified by the public.

“The Council needs to be more proactive.

“Better lit streets would make us feel safer.”