The continuation of this thread only amplifies my point. Peter Sutcliffe and Wayne Couzens are extreme events. Incredibly rare, highly unlikely and a couple of taxi marshals won’t stop them. The fact Suttcliffe is still spoken about is a case in point. How many domestic murder victims (or perpetrators) could you name?
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that perhaps I didn't explain it properly so allow me to elaborate.
I didn't point to Wayne Couzens and Peter Sutcliffe as examples of what can happen, I pointed specifically to the way that those two events lead to a rise of women speaking up about their experiences en masse (which is why I referred to how vox pops from each era seemed to be interchangeable) and how disheartening it was for me to realise that what felt like a paradigm shift in 2021 had occurred in the same way 50 years previous and nothing had changed. The murders themselves were the catalysts but incidental to the point I was making.
You are right in that women are far more likely to suffer violence within their own walls than out on the street but, Jesus Christ, that doesn't mean we shouldn't bother trying to make the streets safer for those who are at greater risk of certain types of unwanted attention (we are also talking about harassment and threatening behaviour as much as outright violence itself). I know women personally who were assaulted on the streets, went to the police and were asked "what were you wearing?" and didn't take it any further out of fear of being publicly humiliated/shamed so how many people do you think there are who don't even show up in the statistics because they're too scared to even report it?
I think it's Ok in some contexts to point out that men can also have the experience of feeling threatened or being attacked by strangers on the streets (though I would argue that during a discussion about women's safety is
not that time). I'm a metalhead and have always dressed alternatively, I used to get abuse regularly and have feared for my safety a few times. I have a few male friends of the same ilk who have been physically assaulted on multiple occasions because of how they were dressed. I have some trans friends (male and female) who have experienced harassment, all by men. Men are clearly the victimisers in these scenarios and that doesn't stop at women. When we're talking about victimisation that goes beyond random attacks, people who don't conform to how you're "supposed" to look and dress of any gender are a category of their own. So are those who who are attacked because of their race or their sexuality. When I see people talking about the Sophie Lancaster Foundation and how to keep goths, moshers and greebos safe on the streets I don't think "but what about queer people? What about ethnic minorities?"
Nobody is saying that women are the only people who are at risk from strangers who are men, but they are victimised for a specific reason that is distinct and common enough to be talked about in its own terms.