A Wishaw woman has decided to take action following recent violent attacks on females across the UK.
Claire-Louise Weir has watched with horror and anger over recent months over the treatment of women and wants action to be taken at a local level.
The 33-year-old has produced an online survey for women to complete on their views and it certainly provides a snapshot on how local women in Wishaw feel regarding their safety in the local area.
She told Lanarkshire Live : “I just feel that not enough is being done.
“If you speak any woman they will tell you stories of being cat-called, sexually harassed and made to feel uncomfortable in certain situations.
“It seems to be just part of the course and it shouldn’t be.
“There always seems to be something else on the news. It’s infuriating that we have to put up with it.”
When asked whether they felt unsafe in the local area walking alone at night, a whopping 83 per cent of women said no.
And 72 per cent said they felt unprepared to protect themselves or a family in the event of an intruder in their home.
Of those who answered the survey, 21 per cent said they had to call the police as a result of feeling unsafe in their own home.
However, over 70 per cent said they did not feel the police were able to protect them if they felt unsafe either at home or in the local area.
Claire-Louise has also started a petition calling public bodies to fund self-defence classes for women to provide them with a level of defence should the worst happen.
The petition has been sent to North Lanarkshire Council, Police Scotland and Wishaw MP Marion Fellows.
Claire-Louise added: “I don’t need to be Rocky Balboa. I just need to know enough to stop an intruder, or an attacker.
“I need to feel confident, and I need to feel like, if I leave the house, I know I’m capable of preventing an attack.
“I never want to be the one to start the fight, but I want to make sure that I can put a stop to it.
“No woman should ever feel unsafe in her own home, and I want your help to bring this to North Lanarkshire Council, and Police Scotland, to help secure funding and education for all women in Wishaw.
“Together, we can make sure women have the ability to protect themselves.”
Motherwell and Wishaw MP Marion Fellows admitted it was troubling so many women did not feel safe in their own community.
She added: “If self-defence classes would help women feel safe, then they should absolutely be made available.
“At the root of the issue is men’s attitudes and behaviour towards women.
“It can only be challenged if each of us play a small part in changing the attitudes and behaviour of our brothers, friends, colleagues or whoever. Men must speak to men as well as women speaking to men to point out what isn’t appropriate.”
Last month, Police Scotland announced it was immediately introducing a simple officer verification process to provide reassurance to any member of the public who may be concerned about whether or not they are being spoken to by a genuine police officer working alone.
The move follows the understandable public concern surrounding the horrendous murder of Sarah Everard.
The new process - introduced at the start of October - allows for an officer’s personal radio to be put on loudspeaker and for an officer or member of police staff in a Police Scotland Control Room to confirm the officer is who they say they are, that they are on duty and the reason the officer is speaking to the member of the public.
Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr told us : “The appalling circumstances of Sarah Everard’s murder have deeply affected people and many are now understandably concerned about verifying an officer’s identity.
“Police officers will, of course, continue to approach any member of the public who appears distressed or vulnerable, to offer support and assistance.
“However, although it is rare for a lone police officer to have to speak to a member of the public in Scotland, we absolutely recognise our responsibility to introduce an additional means of verification to provide further reassurance to anyone, in particular women who may feel vulnerable, and who might be concerned if they find themselves in this situation.
“The onus is on us, as a police service, to proactively offer this additional verification process to any member of the public who appears distressed, vulnerable or frightened.
“Police officers always carry photographic identification and will be happy to provide further reassurance about who they are and their reason for speaking with someone if requested.”
You can take part in the survey by logging onto surveymonkey.com/r/LSWDNP3