19-year-old Abbi Downs was followed and harassed. She now fears for women’s safety in Glasgow after recent incidents.
Abbi Downs left work around 8 PM on February 19 and headed to Buchanan Bus Station. Men on benches in George Square yelled at her, wanting her to join them. Abbi ignored them and walked on. She then noticed one man following her who told her not to be afraid.
Abbi asked him why he followed her. He said it was because she ignored them. The group watched them from the square. The follower had a Polish accent and spoke broken English, repeatedly asking to talk. Abbi walked on, spotting the group following.
Scared, she quickly went to her bus, noticing the men looked 30 or 40 years old. Abbi is only 19 and felt very threatened, wondering why he followed her. This wasn’t Abbi’s first bad experience, as harassment happens often when going to work and she worries street harassment is common now.
She hears foreign accents most times, usually with staring and comments. This time she got followed. Women now feel unsafe walking at night, yet it now happens in daylight too. Two men even tried to get her into their car on Queen Street in a Gwagon, leaning out the car window.
Someone nearby told Abbi to keep walking, which confirmed she wasn’t overreacting, as random men asking that is strange. The video she shared got many views and others reached out with similar stories. Four friends said the same thing happened to them; one woman was followed, then assaulted, but police couldn’t help without CCTV.
Abbi feels no one is doing anything, even though the stories have similar details. She fears no one cares until something awful happens. Other women have reported being followed, and some were assaulted recently in Glasgow. A woman was raped at an underpass on February 3, which the police are still investigating.
Abbi changed her walking habits after the incident made her anxious. She now avoids headphones and checks her surroundings. Glasgow feels different than before and this happens too often so it should not be normal.
She believes people lack respect for women and tells women to be safe. Abbi worries about younger and vulnerable girls. She wants action from authorities who should listen to these concerns.