‘Every week more women are killed’ ...mothers demand ‘action not words’
FAMILIES of women killed by men have joined forces to end a “culture of gross negligence”.
Killed Women will back laws and policies to prevent the “tidal wave” of violence that claims a female life every three days.
It will also fight to improve support for bereaved relatives.
The group says most of the killers have a violent record and are known to authorities, but not enough is done to prevent their behaviour escalating into murder.
Killed Women’s founders have endured unbearable personal tragedies.
Ellie Gould was just
17 when her controlling ex-boyfriend stabbed her to death in Calne,Wilts, in 2019.
Her mother, Carole, said: “We don’t want any more sympathy. We don’t want more words and promises.
“What we want is resources and real action on the ground to stop this tidal wave of violence and ensure justice in our courts.”
Banaz Mahmod, 20, of Mitcham, south London, was strangled in a socalled “honour killing” by her father and uncle in 2006.
Her sister, Bekhal, said: “These deaths aren’t some unavoidable tragedy. They are a symptom of a culture of gross negligence.
“We are saying enough is enough and turning our collective heartbreak into campaigning for change.”
Letisha Shakespeare, 17, and her friend Charlene Ellis, 18, were innocent victims of a drive-by shooting in Birmingham in 2003.
Dr Marcia Shakespeare, Letisha’s mother, said: “Despite violence against women and girls becoming a bigger political issue, it hasn’t translated into the action that’s needed. It’s paramount
to come together and keep campaigning to ensure no other families feel our grief.”
Failings cited by grieving relatives include sub-standard police probes, lenient sentences, lack of intervention by social and children’s services and failure to stop repeat offenders. Labour MP Jess Phillips said the group could be a “game-changer” in forcing politicians to act.
She said: “The courage and tenacity of these families is extraordinary. “Having faced what most of us can barely comprehend, they have the strength to stand and fight for all women.
The Daily Express Keep Our Women Safe On Our Streets crusade also highlights dangers they face. At least 141 women were killed by men in the UK last year – a twoyear high. The 170,973 sexual offences logged for the year to September 2021 was the highest on record.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales said 6.9 per cent of women – an estimated 1.7 million victims – suffered domestic abuse in the year that ended in March.