Sarah Everard’s murder a year ago sparked a nationwide reckoning and revolutionised how the British public understand male violence against women, according to research.
The first major survey of women’s groups in the UK since the 33-year-old’s death also reveals the majority of charities believe the risk to women and girls has increased over the last year.
The survey by Rosa, a grant-making charity for 320 frontline women’s organisations, found 89% thought there had been a shift in public awareness over the last 12 months.
“There has been a revolution of understanding, and the scales have fallen from people’s eyes,” said Rebecca Gill, executive director at Rosa. “I think there has also been a recognition of how normalised fear is for women. It is a fear we live with, and that we learn very young, and we carry it with us until we are old.”
Everard’s murder by serving police officer Wayne Couzens as she walked home in south London last March sparked a national debate that continues to reverberate throughout the UK. Public fury and dismay further escalated when details of the murder emerged at Couzens’ trial.
Meanwhile, two Met police constables were jailed after taking and sharing photos of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, and last week a man pleaded guilty to the murder of Sabina Nessa as her community remembered a kind and loving schoolteacher.
As well as raising public consciousness – more than 180,000 people contributed to the government’s call for evidence on its violence against women and girls strategy in the weeks after Everard’s death – the high-profile murders have lead to significant policy shifts.
Earlier this week, the government announced a major communications campaign against abuse, and put tackling VAWG on the same footing as terrorism following calls from the sector and the Victims’ Commissioner, Vera Baird. The police have appointed a new national lead for violence against women and are piloting a more aggressive approach to suspected perpetrators of sexual crimes.
A new Stand With Us fund launched by Rosa will open in the next few months and fund organisations in the “vital work” of tackling violence against women, said Gill. The fund, which stands at more than half a million pounds, was set up initially by Reclaim These Streets to cover legal costs after the Metropolitan police threatened individual members with fines of up to £10,000 for organising a peaceful vigil to honour Everard.
Ludo Orlando, a co-founder of Reclaim These Streets who sits on the advisory panel for the fund, said it proved people cared. “This money hasn’t come from a few big donors but thousands of small donations from people who want to make a difference to the lives of women and girls,” she said.
Asked if it was a fitting tribute to the memory of Everard, Gill said the women’s sector was wary of intruding on to the private grief of families still mourning their loved ones. She said: “I wouldn’t make that claim, but it is a fitting tribute to a moment, when there was a feeling that something must be done.”
Rosa said the funding could not come soon enough, with more than three-quarters of the organisations surveyed saying the risk of violence faced by the women and girls they work with increased in the last year. This could be part explained by women’s increasing economic vulnerability as a result of the pandemic and a growing crisis in mental health, said Gill.
