Over the past few weeks, a massive clown epidemic (yes, you read that right.) has swept across the nation and is a major cause of concern to many people. Most of these clowns are getting their jollies alone by just walking around with a mask on and scaring innocent passerby’s, but some have been seen wielding weapons as well. Although this may seem like not that big of an ordeal, many people, both men and women, are now afraid to walk home alone at night. A society in which people live in fear is not a society that should exist. Clowns seem to be trending right now, but women have had to walk home alone in fear for some time now and it’s just now being brought to light because of this clown situation.

According to a survey conducted by Statistics Brain back in December of 2015, 38% percent of women say they feel uncomfortable walking home at night while only 11% of men say they do. Now to many of you, that probably doesn’t come as a surprise. Men are typically going to say that they wouldn’t be afraid to walk home by themselves because on average, men are stronger than women. The gap isn’t the problem though, it’s the fact that almost 40% of women say they feel unsafe walking home alone in this country. This limits the amount of experiences they may have because they constantly have to find a ride home or someone to walk them home. Keep in mind, this was all before the clowns decided to come out and play.

Now, are these women afraid to walk home alone because they are afraid of the dark? Probably not. It’s most likely attributed to the staggering number of assaults committed against women. In a study conducted back in 2010, over 22 million women in the United States have been raped in their lifetime. (National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010). 22 million. One is too many, but 22 million is horrendous. How do we stop this number from rising? Although we may never be able to stop this violence from happening to women, we can do things to prevent it from happening and it all starts at home. We as men need to hold each other accountable and make sure we don’t promote this kind of culture and think it’s okay. You don’t take advantage of women. You don’t attack women who are coming home from work, the bar, a soccer game, or whatever the hell it may be. Keep your hands off. Just because you aren’t wearing a mask, doesn’t mean you still can’t be a clown.