Given a third of young Australian women say they avoid public places after dark, I’m all for measures to make them feel safer.

One such initiative is the female-only ride sharing service announced last week called Shebah. I’m also all for increased lighting and CCTV cameras if they will make women feel safer on the streets.

But these measures, however welcome and important, are a bandaid solution for the real problem. What we really need to look at — and address — is what’s making women feel unsafe in the first place.

According to substantial research, what causes this feeling is the threat of harassment, abuse and physical or sexual violence from men. And this is a very real fear, with almost 90 per cent of Australian women reporting having experienced some form of street harassment.

Not surprisingly, we know that when women do go out at night, many take preventive measures to try to protect themselves. I’d be surprised if any woman reading this hasn’t put keys through their knuckles as a defensive measure, crossed the street to avoid men or badly lit areas, or called/texted their loved ones after being out to let them know they had arrived home safely.

Reports of sexual assault were at an all time high last year so I’m not at all surprised that women modify their behaviour to avoid being targets of harassment and abuse. I do it myself.

But we shouldn’t have to.

Our survey with Plan International Australia of young Australian women aged 15-19 years, A Right to the Night, revealed that although respondents believed sexual harassment in public places is both serious and never justified, 17 per cent believed girls’ clothing choices made them at least partly responsible for such harassment.

We are blaming ourselves for the behaviour of a vile minority of men who make women feel unsafe.

These men put other men to shame.

They put Australia to shame.

And as a community we should be looking to change the behaviour of these men, not just putting all the responsibility on women to protect themselves.

media_camera Women should not blame themselves for the behaviour of a vile minority of men. (Pic: iStock/Getty Images)

But the other important point to make is that despite women believing they are most unsafe on the street, the statistics clearly show that we are in fact most likely to experience violence and abuse — even murder — in our own homes, and by men we know.

To repeat an all too familiar and tragic example of these statistics, 1 in 4 Australian women has experienced violence from a current or former partner.

Wherever it happens and whomever it happens to, all violence is unacceptable. But evidence tells us that to stop gender-based violence we must focus not only on the symptoms, but on the causes. This means addressing the drivers of this violence by challenging the harmful social norms, structures and practices of gender inequality and promoting positive, equal and respectful relationships.

Part of this is about changing attitudes and beliefs, and building healthy, respectful models of masculinity. From an early age, boys and young men must be taught to respect and value women, not to harass, intimidate or attempt to control them.

The young women we surveyed agree. One 18-year-old said that “no physical [solutions] will help until social attitudes change”.

Another said Australia must “provide safer transport for women who are travelling late at night and improve education for young women on how to avoid situations which are risky or dangerous. HOWEVER, I don’t think women should need these improvements because I believe males should be brought up to believe that females are equal and it is not OK to be violent towards them.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. I will be happy to use Shebah when it launches next month, and of course it is great to see a new service that gives young women a new option and likely a greater sense of safety.

But I will never believe that abuse, harassment and violence against women is inevitable. We have as much right to enjoy public space as men do, and the right to safety and respect both within and outside our homes.

That’s why as a community we all need to work towards a day when this kind of service is not necessary.

Mary Barry is the CEO of Our Watch, the national organisation to prevent violence against women and their children