LETTERS Rogues beware
Sir: I quite agree with the headline 'They do protect too much' (24 October) as a world safe for women could also be their Prison. This describes our fears for women exactly. Unfortunately Jennie Bristow must have been rather overcome by the soporific atmosphere and relaxing activities she experienced at the Sanctuary and probably dozed off when I was talking about the aims and objectives of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.
I have always been aware that my daugh- ter Suzy's abduction, presumed murder and declared death, might result in women liv- ing inhibited lives. As I reminded the peo- ple at the Sanctuary, our strap line is to enable everyone to 'live their lives to the full'.
Addressing the young teenagers, the mothers and the grandmothers who were in the main our audience, we reminded them that most personal safety techniques and Skills are common sense. However common sense is rarely common practice. The soon- er we allow children to absorb personal safety as part of their daily lives, such as by walking to school, the more it becomes automatic behaviour and an enabler rather than a restrictive practice. I realise that common sense can appear rather dull and certainly not the stuff of controversial articles. However, we have Just launched a resource for young people going around the world on their own. Hav- ing seen the video, read the book, looked at our website on safety for every country in the world, updated by the Foreign Office on a 48-hour basis, the teenagers who have already been, the older travellers who still go say, 'If only I'd seen, read, looked at this before I went, I would have enjoyed it In°re; got more out of it; have avoided that Problem; not lost part of my life ... etc.' Everyone has a right to choose to be safe, to knowingly take risks, or to bury their heads in the sand. Our aim is to enable them to make this choice both by providing resources and taking more direct action to solve problems outside an individual's con- trol, such as offenders with personality dis- orders and uncurbed, unsafe practices with- in the workplace. Diana Lamplugh Director, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust,
14 East Sheen Avenue, London SW14
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