We are pleased to welcome professor Rachel Pain as speaker for the CSPS Annual Lecture 2023!
In this lecture, I present some recent research on experiences of violence and harassment in public parks in North East England, where high rates of abuse and fear in parks were reported by women and minoritised groups. Structural violence underpins these experiences, both in the wider UK context of austerity and diminishing confidence in the state and police, who are often viewed as aggressors rather than protectors of women and minoritised people. Based on our participants’ responses on what would make them safe, the paper rethinks public safety as care, and considers collective responsibility for creating emancipatory and safe public spaces.