Before I give you my advice, I want to make it really clear that not doing these things does not make it your fault if something bad was to happen. You are not responsible for anyone's actions.
1. Always let someone know where you are.
Even if you are not in an usual place, simply telling someone-parent/career/reliable friend where you are going to be or doing is really important. In case, there's an emergency.
I still text my mum "Walking" when it's late at night & I’m walking home alone. Just so she knows my rough location & knows to worry if I’m not home soon after getting my text.
2. Share your location via your Phone
This is easy to do if you have an iPhone by going to "Find My" where you can share your phone's location with a contact for a set amount of time or till you decide to change it. If you have an Android you can do this with the Google Maps app.
3. Fake caller app called 'TEXT ME'
Have you ever been approached by a stranger that appears to like and so wants your number?? It's scary. You want to say no because like; Who gives their number to random men you've known for 15 seconds? but you're worried about saying no because you don't know how they'd react.
This app gives you a secondary number that allows you to receive & send texts/calls (you can't Facetime or iMessage) It's free. The number you get is easy to remember & you can also reset the number.
4. Always carry a charged portable charger
Around 10pm on a Sunday, I was waiting for my parents to pick me up from a bus stop & a girl asked for me if I could use my charger because hers had died & she wanted to check the bus times & needed it to use her contactless! Fast forward 10min, my lift had come but her phone still hadn't charged enough nor had her bus arrived & she was alone with no money. My parents were able to drop her home (but even that would've been a risk for her because we were complete strangers!). Moral of the story: your battery could die at any time.
5. Always a Call Away
Whether it's a parent or friend, have someone or a few people that are reliable & always pick up. My person is my friend David. If I feel nervous about being on the road with just one person or I think someone may be following me, I'll call him & he'll stay on the phone till I feel safe.
6. Call the police
If you are ever worried about your safety, do call the police. You won't get in trouble if it was a false alarm.
If you have any questions about this or want some advice then message us on the webchat Wednesdays 4-6PM or DM us on Instagram.
