Women face an 'epidemic' of violence, campaigners warn as Jess Phillips says it is 'a scandal that women don't feel safe on the streets'
- Women face an 'epidemic of violence' politicians and campaigners have warned
- Killing of Sabine Nessa, 28, comes six months after murder of Sarah Everard, 33
- Labour domestic violence spokesperson Phillips said it is 'not safe' for women
- At least 78 women have been killed in the UK since the March murder of Everard
Women are dealing with an ‘epidemic’ of violence, politicians and campaigners warned yesterday as they lamented the lack of progress since the death of Sarah Everard.
The killing of Sabina Nessa, 28, in south London comes six months after Miss Everard’s murder and a year after sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman were stabbed to death in the capital.
Jess Phillips, Labour’s spokesman for domestic violence and safeguarding, said that it was ‘not safe’ to be a woman.
She said 78 women had been killed in the UK since the death of 33-year-old Miss Everard in March and questioned the Government response.
‘It is a scandal that women don’t feel safe on the streets,’ she said. ‘It’s not safe to be a woman – whether that’s in the workplace, school, university or home. There are too many examples every year.’
Women are dealing with an ‘epidemic’ of violence, politicians including Labour MP Jess Phillips (picutred) and campaigners warned yesterday as they lamented the lack of progress since the death of Sarah Everard
Referring to Miss Everard, who was kidnapped, raped and killed by Met policeman Wayne Couzens while walking home, the MP added: ‘We can’t keep having this. We can’t keep having someone being murdered and then a pilot here and a review there.
‘The British public now demand proper women’s safety laws, legislation, resources and strategy to stop this. We can’t just keep being sorry.’
She also demanded that the Government reclassify violence against women and girls as a ‘serious crime’ in line with terrorism and serious youth violence.
The killing of Sabina Nessa, 28, in south London comes six months after Miss Everard’s murder and a year after sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman were stabbed to death in the capital
Jess Phillips, Labour’s spokesman for domestic violence and safeguarding, said 78 women had been killed in the UK since the death of 33-year-old Miss Everard (pictured) in March and questioned the Government response
The murder of Sabine Nessa comes a year after sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman (pictured) were stabbed to death in the capital
Campaigner Anna Birley, who founded the Reclaim These Streets movement, said yesterday: ‘We often get told when the worst happens that the murder of a woman by a stranger in a public place is very rare and we are very safe.
‘But the thing is, our lived experience of street harassment, cat-calling, a man exposing himself to us, tell us we’re not safe, and murder is rarely the first crime someone commits.’
She said the Government must urgently fix the ‘deep-rooted culture of misogyny in British culture’ by reforming the criminal justice system.
The campaigner called for a higher conviction rate for rapists, anti-misogyny training for police, and lessons in schools to ‘tackle toxic masculinity’.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan warned that women face an ‘epidemic’ of violence. ‘I think this deserves the same priority as counter terrorism,’ he said.
He added that schools should teach boys to respect girls, and misogyny should be made a hate crime.
People law flowers at the bandstand on Clapham Common in March to honour murder victim Sarah Everard
Yesterday, Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted: ‘My thoughts are with the family and friends of Sabina Nessa at this awful time.’
Boris Johnson’s spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister’s focus is on making sure that we make our streets safe for absolutely everybody.’
They added more police were being recruited and that the Home Office released a policy strategy to tackle violence against women and girls in July.
Asked whether the Metropolitan Police had changed its approach to policing violent crime against women following Miss Everard’s death, Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry said: ‘I think the main things that are changing are that... we’re listening to people, we’re understanding where people are feeling not so safe and we’re putting out patrols.’
