Consequences of Fear of Crime for Women

Fear of circulating freely at any time of day: Restricted mobility.
Obstacles to participation in social life: physical and recreational activities, studies, work, social or political involvement.
Dependence on protection by someone else (real or virtual man) or gadgets (alarms, etc.)
Lack of self-confidence, lack of autonomy
Restricted choices (foregoing an evening activity)
Perception of the outside world as dangerous (mistrust)
Isolation (particularly for older women)
Effects on physical and psychological health: stress, consumption of anxiety-relieving drugs (much more widespread among women)
Fear passed on to girls and other women respect to travel and personal and social development activities; problems of mental health, homelessness, being a young streetperson, drug addict, victim of sexual exploitation
Development of protective or avoidance strategies that lead to isolation
Sense of responsibility (Do I follow all the safety instructions? How do I dress? How do I behave?) and guilt in the event of an incident (I left my wallet in my handbag, it’s my fault)
Perception of oneself and women as “victims”
Invalidation of one’s own experience (I shouldn’t be afraid; I’m not being reasonable), so lack of confidence in one’s own judgment and perceptions in various situations
Fear for one’s children; fear of violence at school
Obstacle to fulfilling one’s full potential, as an individual and as a member of the community (survival rather than fulfillment).

- From CAFSU: Women’s Safety. From Dependence to Autonomy.

I’m currently talking a course called “Introduction to Creating Safer Gender Inclusive Cities” through the Gender Inclusive Cities Programme, and so far our readings have been utterly eye-opening.