Curfew - is there a radical fix for violence against women?

Would a curfew for men lead to less violence against women and girls?

That’s the provocative question at the heart of Curfew, the new drama series on Paramount+.

Set in a dystopian future, the show imagines a society where all men live under The Women’s Safety Act and are subjected to a government-imposed curfew from 19:00 to 07:00, with their movements tracked 24/7 by ankle tags.

The goal? To drastically reduce violence against women.

However, as the series unfolds, the discovery of a murdered woman during curfew hours casts doubt on the effectiveness of the policy, raising broader questions about the limits of such measures.

The show, which is based on the novel After Dark by Jayne Cowie, follows Helen, a local teacher who is played by Alexandra Burke.

Known for her musical talents since her X Factor days, Burke takes on a more serious role as a complex character who doesn't always make the right decisions.

"There’s a lot of fear you feel from just being a woman sometimes," Burke says.

"I definitely thought it would be a conversation starter – there will be plenty of people who agree and plenty who disagree with it [a curfew on men].

"You really can't tar every man with the same brush, not every man is going to be a danger to women – so that's why it's a fantastic concept [for a TV show]."

Curfew aims to delve into this conflict, questioning whether surface-level solutions can genuinely address the deep-rooted complexities of gender-based violence.

Veteran police officer Pamela Green, played by Sarah Parish, is determined to bring the perpetrator of the murder to justice.

But with societal assumptions placing men at the centre of violent crime, she faces scepticism from colleagues who challenge the notion that only men can be violent.

Executive producer Nathalie Peter-Contesse explains the creators' vision: “The show is trying to shift the responsibility of the safety of women on to men and the government.

"What would it look like if for once women didn't have to look over their shoulder? If they didn’t have to make sure they weren't out late at night?

“[In real life] there is an effective curfew on women because if we go out alone after midnight and something happens to us, people say ‘what was she doing?’

“This is an issue that plagues society that shows no sign of being fixed.”

She adds: “It's interesting to see how much men would be willing to sacrifice their own freedoms and quality of life to protect their wives and daughters.”

Debates around women's safety remain a critical topic across the world.

Following the murder of Sarah Everard in 2021, Baroness Jenny Jones sparked controversy in the UK when she suggested an 18:00 curfew for men in the House of Lords, arguing it would “make women a lot safer, and reduce discrimination across the board".

She later clarified that the idea was symbolic rather than literal.

However, while some dismissed the proposal as extreme, others saw it as a way to highlight how often women must alter their behaviour for safety.

In July the National Police Chief's Council declared violence against women and girls a "national emergency" after it was revealed that over one million VAWG-related (Violence Against Women and Girls) crimes were recorded in England and Wales in 2022-23, constituting 20% of all crimes documented by the police.

The Labour government recently announced plans to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade, focusing on reforms that emphasise education and the accountability of perpetrators.

In countries such as Switzerland and Spain, electronic ankle monitors, which are also used in Curfew, have been used on domestic violence offenders.

A pilot scheme also took place in London in 2021.

In addition to exploring the underlying factors contributing to violence against women and the measures to prevent it, Curfew also questions whether women are capable of violent acts, challenging traditional gender norms.

The show features an ensemble cast, including Larry Lamb, Bobby Brazier and Mandip Gill.

Curfew is available to stream on Paramount+ from the 10 October.