Enough Is Enough: It's Time To Stop The Violence On Our Trails
For the second time this year I've been left in disbelief, but this time the incident occured on a trail I run on regularly. I can't be silent, and neither should you.
Two women. Two trails. Two daylight attacks right here in Canberra.
When Kim and I held a run earlier this year following the year’s first assault, there was a groundswell of support, and I feel like there is a huge amount of support within the Canberra running community.
We are very fortunate here in Canberra to have a trail running community that often stands as one despite the various banners that we run under.
But lets get to the facts.
One woman, 59 years old, was allegedly choked until she passed out and violently assaulted while jogging on the Centenary Trail in Bonner. A teenage boy has been charged and is now before the ACT Children’s Court. Another woman was grabbed from behind while running in Tuggeranong Hill Nature Reserve. The man hasn’t been caught yet.
There has been mixed reaction to these two attacks, with some comments shifting the attention to the victims, who in the latest instance did everything you’re supposed to do when running on Canberra’s trail, but yet she is still the one with the attention on her.
Let me be clear: as a man, I’m furious. This is not on women. This is on us.
We live in a culture where some men think it’s okay to grab, choke, assault, and threaten women, and then the rest of us either stay silent or get defensive and say '“it’s not all men”.
It’s not “all men.” But those who excuse this level of behaviour need to do better. We need to overturn years of culture with new education, and better societal norms, we’ve come a long way, but recent incidents show we have so far to go.
Every female runner I know has felt that fear, the constant scanning behind them on a run, the quickened heartbeat when footsteps close in, the instinct to tighten their grip on keys or phone. This isn’t paranoia. It’s reality. A reality that we have created but aren’t brave enough to fix.
We don’t need more safety tips for women, they are already vigilant enough as is it.
We need men to stop attacking.
To stop excusing.
To stop being bystanders.
And for those of us who aren’t the attackers, the overwhelming majority, we need to own our role. Call out bad behaviour. Teach boys differently. Demand better from our friends, our family, our communities.
Because right now? Women can’t even go for a jog in the capital city of Australia without a nagging thought of what if? That’s a failure of every man who stays quiet.
The teen facing court in Bonner is young, and the justice system must do its work, and the presumption of innocence is there with due process.
More concerning is an alarming number of incidents that police have released to the public this year with alleged teen offenders attached, which highlights this is a problem that starts early, and that we must work early to stop it.
We need a culture where women don’t have to plan escape routes on a morning run.
A culture where men respect boundaries without being told.
A culture where violence against women is unthinkable.
If you’re a man reading this, ask yourself:
What am I doing to change this?
What am I saying to the men around me?
How will I stand when it happens again?
Women deserve to run free. They deserve to live free. And it’s on us, every man, to make that a reality.
If you’ve read this far I know this is a different tone to what you’re used to. But I couldn’t remain silent, just know I appreciate you for supporting this blog, and hopefully this gives you a little bit more of an insight into who I am.
Great article Brent, thanks for continuing to speak out on this!
“The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”