Viral photo of a door exposes how unsafe many women feel in their own homes
- Replies 7
The internet can be a battleground for trolls and cyberbullies to spread their venom but on occasion, it does become a platform for awareness efforts and crucial conversations.
One of these instances occurred when a Reddit user shared a photo of a blacked-out door and a handle of bells to warn potential intruders, describing the changes she made after two creepy encounters with a male delivery driver.
Sharing her story to the popular social media platform Reddit, the Canadian woman said that she felt the need to make changes to feel safe inside her own home.
‘I hate living alone as a woman!’ She captioned and attached a picture of her front door. Only the glass window was taped up with what looked like black cardboard, and bells hanging from the door knob.
In the now-deleted post, she explained that the man was an Amazon delivery driver in civilian clothing and that this man – after the first time he dropped off a package at her doorstep – asked her out on a date.
And although she ‘declined nicely’, the man visited her home again a week later without a package to be delivered, and repeatedly continued to ask her out.
‘He saw my lights on and a car in the laneway,’ said the woman. She added that the man was pushy and repeatedly asked her out to the point that she felt her privacy was being invaded.
‘It freaked me out.’
Feeling uneasy, the woman said she ‘sprang into action’ and did all that she could to make herself feel safe again. She mentioned that she has since replaced the blackboard with a privacy sticker film and installed a camera.
‘I had never felt the need to use it before but the comments section has changed my mind,’ she admitted.
Aside from that, she redirected her future Amazon packages to a friend’s address and reported the delivery man to Amazon directly. She also removed her phone number from postage labels.
Since the incident, the woman revealed that she’s gotten better supplies and feels ‘much safer’.
She added: ‘There are SO many stories here that people should know happen to women on a daily basis.’ Her original post had amassed 62,000 likes and more than 6,000 comments – with many users sharing their own similar experiences with stalkers.
Some shared their tactics to prevent inappropriate behaviour from postal workers and delivery staff. These included ordering items under a man’s name, installing motion-activated door alarms, and pretending that another man lives in the house.
‘Had a dude that delivered my groceries come back and want to visit…Glad I have visible cameras and motion lights,’ shared one.
Someone else described their experience with a stalker. They said that the man worked for their local public works and highway and helped her remove snow from their driveway. But then he continued to randomly show up at her home and left notes on her door.
It escalated to him bringing another person to her house to ‘assess her roof’ while she wasn’t home, without any invitation to visit. She succeeded in making him leave her alone, but when she saw him years later, he treated her like she ‘cheated’ on him.
Someone else said that a good deterrent is to set men’s work boots outside. A man replied under this comment saying, ‘As a man, I can’t imagine incorporating survival skills in my daily routine. The world is truly a f***ed-up place for women’.
The Victorian Law Reform Commission estimated that one-in-six women and around one-in-fifteen men become victims of stalking. And that the behaviour of some stalkers can escalate into serious violence such as homicide or suicide.
While a single behaviour or instance may not be illegal, it becomes criminal when the conduct is now directed at another person with ‘specific intent’.
We hope everyone stays safe out there! If you or someone you know is getting harassed, immediately get the authorities involved.
One of these instances occurred when a Reddit user shared a photo of a blacked-out door and a handle of bells to warn potential intruders, describing the changes she made after two creepy encounters with a male delivery driver.
Sharing her story to the popular social media platform Reddit, the Canadian woman said that she felt the need to make changes to feel safe inside her own home.
‘I hate living alone as a woman!’ She captioned and attached a picture of her front door. Only the glass window was taped up with what looked like black cardboard, and bells hanging from the door knob.
The woman was scared after being stalked by a delivery man. Credit: Bas Masseus/Pexels
In the now-deleted post, she explained that the man was an Amazon delivery driver in civilian clothing and that this man – after the first time he dropped off a package at her doorstep – asked her out on a date.
And although she ‘declined nicely’, the man visited her home again a week later without a package to be delivered, and repeatedly continued to ask her out.
‘He saw my lights on and a car in the laneway,’ said the woman. She added that the man was pushy and repeatedly asked her out to the point that she felt her privacy was being invaded.
‘It freaked me out.’
The actual photo of the woman’s door. Credit: Reddit
Feeling uneasy, the woman said she ‘sprang into action’ and did all that she could to make herself feel safe again. She mentioned that she has since replaced the blackboard with a privacy sticker film and installed a camera.
‘I had never felt the need to use it before but the comments section has changed my mind,’ she admitted.
Aside from that, she redirected her future Amazon packages to a friend’s address and reported the delivery man to Amazon directly. She also removed her phone number from postage labels.
Since the incident, the woman revealed that she’s gotten better supplies and feels ‘much safer’.
She added: ‘There are SO many stories here that people should know happen to women on a daily basis.’ Her original post had amassed 62,000 likes and more than 6,000 comments – with many users sharing their own similar experiences with stalkers.
Some shared their tactics to prevent inappropriate behaviour from postal workers and delivery staff. These included ordering items under a man’s name, installing motion-activated door alarms, and pretending that another man lives in the house.
One-in-fifteen men become victims of stalking according to experts. Credit: Victor/Pexels
‘Had a dude that delivered my groceries come back and want to visit…Glad I have visible cameras and motion lights,’ shared one.
Someone else described their experience with a stalker. They said that the man worked for their local public works and highway and helped her remove snow from their driveway. But then he continued to randomly show up at her home and left notes on her door.
It escalated to him bringing another person to her house to ‘assess her roof’ while she wasn’t home, without any invitation to visit. She succeeded in making him leave her alone, but when she saw him years later, he treated her like she ‘cheated’ on him.
Someone else said that a good deterrent is to set men’s work boots outside. A man replied under this comment saying, ‘As a man, I can’t imagine incorporating survival skills in my daily routine. The world is truly a f***ed-up place for women’.
The Victorian Law Reform Commission estimated that one-in-six women and around one-in-fifteen men become victims of stalking. And that the behaviour of some stalkers can escalate into serious violence such as homicide or suicide.
While a single behaviour or instance may not be illegal, it becomes criminal when the conduct is now directed at another person with ‘specific intent’.
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