Young women running the gauntlet of abuse in Tipperary Town demand action

An increasing level of harassment of teenage girls in Tipperary Town has led to calls for a stronger garda presence on the streets.
Young women have described their experience of running the gauntlet of abuse and sexual innuendo as they walk around the town in broad daylight.
Students from three secondary schools in Tipperary Town staged a demonstration last week to highlight the unsettling behaviour.
They staged a demonstration and a vigil in the Tipperary Hills.
The students and the organisers have called for a greater garda presence on the streets, for street lighting in some areas of the town to be upgraded and have called on the local authority to provide a safe space in the town for young people to meet up.
The event had a dual purpose. It raised awareness of safety around the town and it allowed those participating to remember Ashling Murphy, the young teacher who was killed while out for a run in county Offaly, and the other 243 women who were murdered in Ireland since 1996.
The demonstration/vigil was organised by a youth group from Youth Work Ireland in Tipperary Town.
Students from St Anne’s, St Ailbe’s and the Abbey CBS secondary schools took part in the event. The students have spoken out about how they have encountered harassment in the town.
“When I walk downtown, I could be shouted at and called sexy even though I am in my school uniform. This kind of behaviour just needs to stop,” said one student.
Another student told of her experience while volunteering for a food collection in Dunnes Stores.
“A man came over to us and asked us to come back to his house to hang out with him. We said ‘no’, but he kept asking.
“We were very uncomfortable, and he only left when we told him to ‘please leave us alone’.”
Other stories included young female students being catcalled from passing cars on a regular basis.
On the walk students availed of the opportunity to discuss their own safety and their experience as young people living in Tipperary Town and its hinterlands.
As part of the process students selected a name of a particular woman that had lost her life violently.
They researched the background to that specific murder and on the walk they reflected on the experiences of that person and talked with their friends about the person they had selected at the vigil.
At the end of the walk the students scattered wildflower seeds in honour of the memory of all of the women who have been murdered in Ireland since 1996.
Tipperary Town’s Cllr Annemarie Ryan addressed the group as future law and policy makers.
She encouraged young people who attended to discuss how they might, if they had the power, make the spaces we occupy safe for everyone. They were also encouraged to bring any ideas or initiatives to their teachers, youth workers and local councillors.
Concern over the levels of harassment of young girls was raised when Youth Work Ireland in Tipperary Town conducted a survey among the youth as part of the Tipperary Town Task Force consultation process during the summer.
“It all started with that survey. Young people were asked a number of questions but the response to a question on safety around the town was alarming,” said Lisa McGrath of Youth Work Ireland based in Tipperary Town.
“The response to the safety question showed that young people did not feel safe. Young people were happy to talk about their experiences to highlight the issue and they wanted something done about it,” said Lisa.
“Teenage girls spoke about walking down the town and being shouted at from cars and vans. They are sick of listening to that,” she said.
Lisa McGrath said that young people wanted to see action being taken to alleviate their fears. More gardaí needed to be seen on the streets, areas like the Kickham Plaza needed to be better lit up and young people needed a safe place in the town to allow them to meet up.
“There are issues around the Kickham Plaza during the day. Girls walking past are harassed. There are people begging for money there and they also shout abuse at young girls there as well,” said Lisa McGrath.
“We are in contact with the local gardaí on a regular basis about the issues. More guards on the street would certainly be a deterrent,” said Lisa.
Following that survey young people started to advocate for a safe space for teenagers to hang out.
A petition, signed by 500 young people calling for such a facility to be provided, was presented to local councillors and council officials.
APPLY PRESSURE
Lisa McGrath said that Youth Work Ireland would continue to apply pressure on the local authority to work towards the creation of that space for young people.
Pressure, she said, would also be maintained on the council to improve public lighting and the contact with the gardaí in town would continue.
“Youth Work Ireland Tipperary will continue to support young people to highlight issues that affect them and their peers,” added Lisa.

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