A year ago today, the body of Sarah Everard was found in a Kent woodland, bringing an end to a week-long search for the 33-year-old. This tragedy sparked outrage and prompted a public conversation about violence against women across the country. The Met Police came under intense scrutiny for how they handled the Everard case, particularly as Everard was murdered by serving police officer, Wayne Couzens; Cressida Dick’s resignation on 11 February was partly due to shortcomings in dealing with the fallout from the tragedy. On the first anniversary since Sarah’s death, The Hackney Post investigates what has been done, and what more needs to be done, to protect women.
Do women feel safe on the streets of Hackney?
Hackney Council appealed to local women in the wake of Sarah’s death, asking for advice on improving womens’ safety in public. The main issue female residents highlighted was night-time harassment on poorly lit streets. The council implemented an interactive map where women can list the areas they feel unsafe, but for many women, this doesn’t go far enough.
Stoke Newington resident, Martha Glynn says: “There are still areas that are near shops and car parks that are very quiet and poorly lit – I don’t want to walk through those areas at night.” She drew attention to the low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) scheme on Church Street – one of the main streets in Stoke Newington – arguing that, “In general, I am in support of the LTN schemes, but it does mean that it is extremely quiet where I live, and 6pm can feel like midnight.”
The Council’s view
A Hackney Council spokesperson said: “We know there is still more work to be done to make Hackney a borough in which all women and girls feel safe all the time. We strongly believe that the work we are doing will ensure this borough is one of the safest places not only in London but nationally.”
“It is an issue we take extremely seriously, and we work closely with a range of partners to run a host of initiatives – highlighted during our 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women and Girls last year as well as our involvement with International Women’s Day on 8 March.”
The charity work taking place
North London women’s charity, Solace Aid, argues that street harassment was only one problem that needs to be addressed. Rebecca Goshawk, the charity’s Head of Public Affairs, said: “I think we have seen some changes, and there has been a good response, particularly regarding street harassment and women’s safety at night and on the streets. But we’re looking at the overall picture and actually a lot of women are not safe in their homes and I think we need to see the response and recognise both of those areas.”
Two women a week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales, and ??in 2020, it was estimated that more than 1.6 million women experienced domestic violence, according to the Office for National Statistics. Solace Aid has seen a huge increase in reports of domestic abuse since 2020, and the Femicide Census estimated that 110 British women had been killed by men since Sarah Everard’s death. The majority of these were perpetrated by a partner, or someone known to the victim, as opposed to strangers like Wayne Couzens, Sarah’s murderer. “Women face violence within their own home…it’s from people that they know,” Goshawk said.
Domestic violence is hugely underreported. Only 1.6% of rapes recorded by the police in England and Wales result in a charge or summons, Home Office figures show. Alexia Sampsoni, a student living in Dalston, feels the low rates of convictions for crimes against women, and Everard’s murder by a police officer, has erroded women’s trust in the police.
“Who’s going to call the police now?” said Sampsoni. “[Sarah Everard’s murder has] proven to us that the police can’t be trusted. When I think I’m in trouble, the first person I think to call is definitely not the police.”
“Nothing would happen anyway, men are barely ever charged for rape or assault. Nothing has really changed about the police.”
Protecting the women of Hackney
In 2019 Hackney Council committed to a Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy that focused on dealing with domestic abuse within the borough. A key part of the initiative focused on the high proportion of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women living in Hackney, and the extra support they require. Goshawk emphasised the importance of this. “There is a conversation that needs to be had about the different media and public response to cases that involve Black or [racialised Other] women. We need to ensure the support services are there for all women.”
Goshawk says she was encouraged by youth led movements such as Everyone’s Invited, which allows survivors of sexual violence in schools to share their stories online. However, she claims this change needs to come from people in positions of authority.
Everyone’s Invited details more than 50,000 anonymous testimonies of alleged sexual abuse on its website. Stoke Newington School was named in some of the testimonies.
Headteacher Zehra Jaffer said female pupils staged a protest to draw attention to the issue of male violence against women and sexual assault in 2021 in the wake of Everard’s murder. Students were encouraged to share their experiences of sexual assault at a staff briefing, which Jaffer claims helped the school develop an action plan on how to better address rape culture.
Addressing education
“We want our young people to be active citizens,” Jaffer says, “we have to acknowledge [sexual assault] happens here and work with the students to change that.”
Education is key to tackling violence against women at the root, Goshawk argues. “It can’t just be street lighting and more police, it’s got to be about actually tackling the culture in society … about putting some focus on the behaviours of men and boys.”
“The mayor needs to invest in education about healthy relationships and role out specialist programmes to talk about violence against women and girls.”
