A new spoken-word film created for Merseyside Police and the Police Commissioner is challenging men to rethink their behaviour, as survey findings show many women still feel unsafe in public places.
00:03A Mergeside poet is speaking directly to men about the choices they make and the impact those choices can have.
00:09Man to Man is a new spoken word piece written and performed by Joseph Roberts as part of Mergeside Police and the Police Commissioner's Taking Action campaign, which aims to tackle violence against women and girls.
00:21So I can't speak on behalf of women, I can't do that because I'm not a woman and I've never experienced these things.
00:28But what I can speak about is from a man's perspective and it's up to us, part of it is up to us, to start the conversation and to create a safer place for women and girls across Mergeside.
00:45His poem uses personal direct language to confront behaviours that can make women feel unsafe on the streets, in the workplaces and in social spaces.
00:53Joseph Roberts says the poem aims to make the issue feel personal and immediate, reminding viewers that harassment is happening in their own communities and that men have the power to change the culture around them.
01:06Definitely, it is calling out, but in the piece of sight, it's also calling people in, calling men in and you have to have the conversation.
01:17It's not like make it the enemy, we need to collaborate and coerce and have the conversation to create that change, you know,
01:27because the majority of men would have seen something happen, heard something happen or sadly done it themselves and been a part of the problem.
01:35And so if we can have that conversation, you never know who that's going to reach.
01:40The campaign launched here at Liverpool Lime Street Station is rooted in survey findings gathered by the police to understand women's experiences.
01:47Those results paint a stark picture.
01:49According to the force, 71% of women fear sexual assault, while 60% fear being stalked.
01:56And nearly a third often feel unsafe in public spaces around Merseyside and more than half feel unsafe at least some of the time.
02:02And we know that women and girls are too often making those decisions where they decide not to go to a certain place,
02:07not to walk down a certain street, not to go somewhere on their own, texting their friends to let them know where they are because of that feeling of feeling unsafe.
02:13And that is unacceptable. And we know that men have got a really big part to play in this.
02:17There are lots of good men out there who will say, well, I don't do that. I don't harass women. I don't, you know, I don't abuse women.
02:22I don't get involved in that. Well, actually, then what do you do to help stop that?
02:25Do you challenge your mates? Do you challenge people at work? Do you intervene if you see a woman doesn't feel safe?
02:29It's not right that we continue to ask women and girls to change their patterns of behaviour,
02:34to not go out at night through fear of violence, not to go into our nighttime economy here in Liverpool City Centre,
02:39which is absolutely vibrant and fantastic. So it is about a saying to men, come on, we've got a role to play here.
02:44Can we just get involved? Can we just reflect, take stock, have a think and potentially change our behaviours towards others?
02:51The piece features in a short video combining spoken word with visual storytelling designed to spark conversations online and across community platforms.
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