Jersey run clubs unite for 'Let's Lift The Curfew'

With the clocks changing and the nights getting darker, Jersey running clubs are again uniting to support Let’s Lift The Curfew.

It's a national movement aiming to end the curfew imposed on women by safety fears during darker nights.

It was first launched in 2023 by 'This Girl Can' to bring women, community groups, sports clubs, organisations and allies together to raise awareness of the issue and create change.

In winter, 72% of women change their outdoor routines due to safety concerns, reinforcing the gender activity gap of more than half a million fewer women taking part in activity than men.

It's the second year the initiative is taking place in Jersey.

Bex Harris, member of Rock N Road Runners, said:

"Every year when the clocks go back, three-quarters of women change the way that they exercise outside.

"Be that they start going to the gym more and using a treadmill, they will try and go outside whilst it's light so instead of going before work or after work, maybe they're using their lunchtimes, they're doing things that means that they feel safer and they're not putting themselves at risk, so they are having to change their whole day around just because the clocks have changed.

"It's not a female problem, but men aren't our enemy, they're our allies. If they can come along, if they can be aware of the differences between the male and female being active, it's going to be better for everyone."

Other research from This Girl Can has found:

• More than half (55%) of women feel unsafe exercising outdoors alone after dark, compared with a third (33%) of men
• 69% of women fear sexual harassment when exercising outdoors after dark – up from 60% in 2023
• More than two-thirds (67%) of women believe rising online misogyny and anti-women attitudes are making women feel less safe outdoors
• Nearly half (47%) of men admit they underestimate women’s safety concerns
• Almost half (48%) of men recognise they have to think about their own safety less than women do.

 

 

 

 

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Ms Harris added:

"It's not just us that needs to be lit, it is also you.

"If you're running along, you don't have any lights on, you're not wearing any high-vis, that can feel quite menacing.

"If you're running behind a woman that might feel a bit intimidated, could you just cross the road just to show that actually, you're not there to make her feel worried.

"If you're friends with females and you know that they want to go running in the dark in the morning or in the evening and they might feel worried, could you offer one or two days a week that you'd say, actually, do you want to go out together, because I know you might feel a bit worried about this and I'd rather make you feel safe."

Rock n Road Runners will join forces with other local run clubs for the 5km walk or run.

It starts from the entrance to Les Jardins car park at 6:30pm.