We are saddened to have to write this blog post, motivated by the conversations that have followed the murder of Sarah Everard, whose body was discovered on the 10th March, a week after she was last seen walking home from seeing a friend. Foremostly, we wish to express our condolences to Sarah’s family and friends, and to those of the many victims of similar incidences, who haven't had their story told so publicly. It is overwhelming to try and respond to the events that have transpired in the past weeks, and even more so, to the ideas and societal structures that have been implicit in allowing those events to even occur in the first place.
As a social enterprise inherently interested in tackling issues of sexual assault and mental health, we wanted to express some thoughts and laterally, some recommendations, on where we might concentrate our energy, in order to make real and lasting change at this time of upheaval. We understand that we are in no way expert, but we are deeply involved in these issues and wish to make a statement as a social enterprise - as The Noisy Movement.
Although we can’t cover even a proportion of what we would like to, we have split this long-form blog post into two sections. The first will address the issues of male violence, both recently, and in a more general societal context. We will then strive to address the ways in which we as a society can move forward, highlighting key roadblocks in this mission.
Male violence against women: an endemic and terrifying norm
Although it seems difficult to know where to start when addressing the events that have transpired recently, it is important to first touch upon the common fear that the circumstances surrounding Sarah Everard’s death have highlighted. In a time where stay-at-home mandates mean that the only place that people can exercise, socialise or clear their heads, is outside, it feels apt to underline the feeling of tension and threat that these spaces present to women. The phenomenon of feeling unsafe in outside spaces, especially at night, is not new, or unknown, to most if not all women.
A worrying example of how commonplace these feelings of fear are is through the recent rush to social media to express outrage, solidarity and personal stories. Keys in fingers. Texting friends when you get home. Making sure that you are, or appear to be, on the phone. Taking the long route home. Turning on your location for friends to track. These are not uncommon instances. The fact that it has taken a specific case of male violence against women to create space for this conversation, is appalling. We have to recognise the lack of real and genuine space that women can feel safe in.
Worryingly, statistics show that these very real fears are also extremely prevalent for trans women, and especially for trans women of colour. It was recently published that transgender people in England and Wales are far more likely than cisgender people to be the victim of crime. These figures become even more shocking when it is revealed that this statistic equates to 30.7% of transgender people having been the victim of a crime, almost a third of the entire populace (ONS, 2020a). Although it is difficult to specify how many of these took place in common outdoor spaces, personal testimony from trans women on social media recently show that these incidences are not uncommon, and present a real risk to so many when moving through public spaces.
Sadly, it is not only outdoors that women experience violence. Although it may appear safer from unknown and external impedance, recent statistics have shown that 1.6 million women in England and Wales were the victims of domestic abuse in the year ending March 2020 (ONS, 2020b). Additionally, Refuge, a domestic abuse charity, stated that in June 2020, in the height of lockdown in the United Kingdom, calls to their helpline had increased by 80% (Kelly and Graham, 2020). The past year has presented many unavoidable challenges, but with this assertion that both domestic and public spaces present women with threat and violence, it begs the question, where and when can we feel safe?
“We have to recognise the lack of real and genuine space that women can feel safe in”
A particularly distressing detail about Sarah Everard’s murder is the identity of her attacker. The man accused of her disappearance is a police officer, someone whose job is to protect the public. And as if this wasn’t enough, this same police officer allegedly had already inappropriately exposed himself to women twice in public, indicating that the police were already aware of his disturbing behaviour and the potential threat to the public, but still, nothing was done. This incident tragically reflects a much larger issue surrounding police negligence, one which many women and other minorities are already hyper-aware of.
For many of us, the police do not represent safety but are themselves the potential danger that threatens us. Just look at the incidents of police brutality that led to the Black Lives Matter protests last summer, or even the horrific treatment of those attending the vigil in memory of Sarah Everard last Saturday. Hundreds of people attended the vigil – many of whom were respecting social distancing and wearing masks – in order to pay their respects to Sarah and express their concerns over safety in public spaces. However, shortly after the sunset, police officers began trampling on flowers and signs that people had laid out for Sarah and storming the protesters in an attempt to disperse the crowd. Footage and images from the incident show police officers aggressively man-handling and even arresting the peaceful protesters. The irony of this is not lost on many people; the police assaulted women who were asserting their right to be on the street, just as Sarah herself had been. Even with the excuse of these officers trying to prevent the spread of Covid-19, we need only to look at the incident in Glasgow where hundreds of football fans were allowed to celebrate their teams win by destroying public property, with little police interaction. If the police were able to handle this situation without violence and disruption, why were so many women violently dispersed, arrested and manhandled? So what was really the issue on Saturday; was it that a crowd of people gathered, breaching Covid-19 restrictions, just like in Glasgow last week, or was the real issue that more people were questioning the authority and behaviour of the police?
“For many of us, the police do not represent safety but are themselves the potential danger which threatens us”
This is by no means the first or the last incident where the police have abused their power. Last June, after two sisters were murdered, police officers took selfies with their bodies (Bashir, 2020). These men are still employed by the police today. Even after police had dispersed people from Sarah’s vigil, there was a report that a woman was on her way home, and after she told the police they made no effort to help, instead complaining about the “rioters” at the protest (BBC News 2021). These are just a few examples of how police negligence is putting women’s safety at risk. If the people that are employed to keep the public safe are the ones putting women at risk, and refusing to help them when they are in danger, even going so far as to disrespect their bodies after death, then how can women ever feel or be safe in public or in private? We should not have to ask men, especially policemen, to do better.
Source: The Times (Jack Hill). Patsy Stevenson, the face of police response to Sarah Everard’s peaceful vigil
How do we move forward, in a constructive and effective manner?
These facts are overwhelming, and the ability for people to share resources, speak their truth, and organise protest events on social media has been a blessing. However, in the midst of the empathy, resilience and triumph of women online, there have been a few voices that have clouded the conversation.
Source: @ThisIsDavina on Twitter. [Accessed: 15th March 2021]
An example of this can be seen in the above tweet, where a famous television personality demands that women expressing testimony and personal reflection is fear-mongering and that the mental health of men be taken into consideration when expressing these truths. As proponents of positive conversations around mental health, as well as active contributors to mental health charities, we at the Noisy Movement were particularly disappointed by this response. It presents the case that good male mental health depends on the silencing of conversations around violence against women, which is both untrue, and unfair. We recognise that this is not the opinion of many, but it is the opinion of too many. To drag male mental health into an explicitly female issue is not only out-of-place, but it is damaging to the pursuit of equality. Mental health can be regarded as a serious and worthy issue, in the same breath as female safety and equality. In this instance, it comes off as a foolhardy way to diminish the experience of women, whilst also belittling the very real and important cause of male mental health, in the process.
This specific use of social media is not productive, yet we know it can be. We wanted to offer some advice and directions in ways that we can move forward, but before that, we felt it important to state this caveat. It is not the job of women to teach men or anyone else the correct way to behave. Women should not have to repost Instagram stories that warn men not to walk closely behind women at night, or touch them inappropriately in crowds at concerts, and they especially should not have to tell men not to sexually harass or rape. But for many women, and in light of recent and historical events, this often feels necessary. But it is not the job of any women to have to educate or teach others how to treat them. In fact, it is not the job of any victim to have to educate anyone; this is especially relevant with regards to the Black Lives Matter movement. Asking people of colour and women to discuss their often-traumatic experiences is asking them to relive the fear and anger that they have already been through. To ask them to do this would be exhausting and overwhelming. We are better equipped than any generation before us to educate ourselves. We live in a time where more information than ever before is available at the touch of a button. Google, read, watch videos – there are so many ways that we can educate ourselves, without asking victims to relive their trauma.
“We are better equipped than any generation before us to educate ourselves”
That said, we can 100% do more than reposting an Instagram story or infographic. Although these posts often contain really useful and powerful information, they don’t do a huge amount in practice. The people that see and share them are likely to feel the same way as you, and, at least in our experience, it tends to be mainly women that are sharing them anyway. Furthermore, the oversaturation of our social media accounts with messages such as these decreases their impact. Instead, we should all try and do more outside of the Internet. Consider writing to your local MSP or MP, expressing your concerns, your anger and your fear. There are loads of templates on the internet that you can use to help write an email. Or maybe, you could sign and share some petitions; there is a particularly important one going around right now about protecting our right to protest, as the government is currently attempting to pass a bill that criminalises the type of protest we saw at Sarah’s vigil. Or you could even take part in vigils and protests yourself (but only if you feel safe doing so). The reaction, both on social media and online, to the tragic death of Sarah Everard has shown that women have had enough, and if you’re angry and upset enough to post an Instagram story, then you’re angry and upset enough to do more for Sarah, and for women everywhere.
We thought it apt to conclude with a picture of Sarah’s Tree, a student-led act of resilience in the Meadows - a notorious location for threat and male violence against women in Edinburgh. It represents the strength that Sarah’s death has sparked in many women across the UK, across the globe even. It is appalling that a tragedy such as her murder had to begin the conversation that we are seeing crop up in national and global media, but we should take stock in what we have gained. The ability to have these conversations, and unite in attempting to change entrenched systems of misogyny that have led us to this dark place. Sarah should not have been murdered at the hands of a police officer, nor should any women experience violence at the hands of deep-rooted misogyny and anger. However, as an increasingly organised and motivated collective, with a common goal - we have the power to create change.
(Source: @sarahstree on Instagram. [Accessed 18th March 2021])
BBC News 2021 BBC Sarah Everard vigil: Woman 'was ignored by police' over exposure report. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56409023> [Accessed 17 March 2021].
Bashir, M., 2020. Wembley park murders: PCs 'took selfies next to sisters' dead bodies'. [online] BBC News. Available at: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-53198702> [Accessed 19 March 2021].
Kelly, J. and Graham, S. (2020). Coronavirus: Domestic abuse helpline sees lockdown surge. BBC news [online].
Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53498675
[Accesd 18th March 2021].
Office for National Statistics (ONS). (2020a). Crime in England and Wales: Annual Trend and Demographic Tables. Table D1. ONS Publications.
Office for National Statistics (ONS). (2020b). Domestic Abuse in England and Wales overview: November 2020. ONS Publications.