The TV presenter said that “calling all men out as dangerous is bad for our sons, brothers, partners.”
Davina McCall has come under fire after stating that not all men threaten women’s safety.
The former Big Brother host made the comments in relation to the disappearance of Sarah Everard. The 33 year-old woman went missing while walking home on 3 March. Earlier this week, a London police officer was arrested in connection to the case.
Since the disappearance was reported, many women have spoken openly about their own concerns and frustration. A number of women have also called for increased accountability for men in relation to women’s safety.
Responding to this narrative, McCall tweeted: “Female abduction/murder is extremely rare. Yes we should all be vigilant when out alone. But this level of fear-mongering isn’t healthy. And men’s mental health is an issue as well. Calling all men out as dangerous is bad for our sons, brothers, partners.”
One Twitter user pointed out that “calling all men dangerous” is not what’s currently happening. They clarified that some men are dangerous and “when we’re walking home alone in the dark, we can’t tell which ones are and which ones aren’t.”
The TV presenter hit back saying: “I wouldn’t walk home alone in the dark. And lots of men I know wouldn’t either… because there are some (very few relatively) bad people out there. But your response is say you view all men as a danger and I don’t think we should be spreading that message.”
Female abduction / murder is extremely rare. Yes we should all be vigilant when out alone. But this level of fear-mongering isn’t healthy. And men’s mental health is an issue as well. Calling all men out as dangerous is bad for our sons, brothers, partners.
— Davina McCall (@ThisisDavina) March 12, 2021
Later, Davina told another social media user that we should “all be vigilant as parents raise good adults.”
In the replies, many took issue with Davina’s comments.
One person wrote: “A woman being killed is a reminder to women of the (very real!) danger they face. Two women a week die from domestic violence, almost all women experience sexual assault or sexual harassment once or several times in a life. To frame that as a mental health issue is a reach.”
A Reclaim These Streets vigil in honour of Sarah Everard will take place tomorrow evening in Clapham.
