Opinion: Men need to do better to help tackle violence against women and girls - this is why
From the age of 11 to 16 I walked home from secondary school in my uniform. Every day, without fail, cars would go by and the drivers would honk and sometimes shout something awful out of the window.
When I was 20, two weeks after I had left a particularly awful ex-boyfriend, he sent me a text as I was getting my haircut that said: "It's nice to see you're out of the house."
Recently, I received a message from an unknown number after I blocked a man because he sent me an unsolicited picture of his penis, it read: "I can't believe you blocked me over that."
Those stories don't even scratch the surface of my experiences but it's about all I'm willing to share with strangers.
Every female friend and family member I have had this conversation with has their own catalogue of tales of harassment or assault. Well, all but one.
"I don't have a story like that," a former colleague once told me. "We used to have a flasher in the village - but I don't think that counts." For the record, it counts.
If simply listening to the everyday experiences of women doesn't hit home, have some cold hard facts.
