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England and Wales’ first domestic abuse commissioner, who will have significant powers once the domestic abuse bill becomes law early next year, has pledged to work closely with the campaign to tackle femicide. : the murder of women at the hands of men.
At a virtual event last Thursday, attended by more than 600 people, Nicole Jacobs expressed her “sheer frustration” over the “zip code lottery” and the lack of a coordinated response by agencies to address the murder of women. . “We all have such an urge for change,” he said.
The event marked the publication of the Femicide Census, titled “If I’m not here by Friday, I could be dead,” in the words of Judith Nibbs, beheaded by her husband, Dempsey Nibbs, in 2014. The census, last reported week in the Observer, analyzes why and how, during a period of 10 years (2009-18), 1,425 women were murdered by men. One woman died, on average, every three days. Twenty men killed twice. The homicide rate has remained unchanged over the decade despite increased awareness, investment in police training and changes in the law.
Jacobs, the designated Domestic Abuse Commissioner was previously CEO of the Standing Together charity and has worked to address male violence towards women and girls for more than 20 years. He noted that his powers allow him to seek information from public bodies, make recommendations and wait for the authorities to respond within 56 days.
The census of femicides highlights how data in areas such as ethnicity registration, abuse histories, and official investigations into police conduct in investigating abuse and femicide are often “sparse, inaccurate, or incomplete.”
The census was founded by Karen Ingala Smith, executive director of Nia, a domestic and sexual violence charity, and Clarissa O’Callaghan, a former attorney. They lead a small team that investigates each murder with the pro bono support of Freshfields Bruckhouse Deringer, an international law firm, and Deloitte consultants.
The census only includes cases in which “it can legally be said that a man has killed this woman.” The report states that “patterns of male violence are persistent and long-lasting.” “We need to see the patterns to prevent women from being killed,” Ingala Smith said Thursday.
Patterns of male violence were discussed by a panel Thursday that included Professor Jane Monckton Smith of the University of Gloucestershire. He has established eight stages in a relationship that can predict femicide. They include a history of harassment and / or abuse, coercive control; planning to kill and a woman’s decision to leave the relationship.
The Femicide Census records that in 46% of the cases the perpetrators had a history of violence. 62% of women were killed by a current or former partner, four out of 10 of the deceased women had left their murderer or had announced their intention to do so. “We continue to think that the deaths are due to a man out of control, ‘a red mist falling,’ so they are not predictable,” said Monckton Smith. “Are.”
Nimco Ali, a government adviser on violence against women and girls, speaking privately, said a woman’s experience with male violence is vital to “leading and shaping politics.”
Davina James-Hanman, who has reviewed many domestic homicides for the Home Office, said that when women speak out about their abuse, as seven out of 10 women killed in the census had, they don’t listen: “They are supposed to be liars. “
In a call to action, O’Callaghan said that 95% of murder charges in femicide secure a conviction “and that is a success,” as opposed to the abysmally low rate of convictions for rape. “When a woman is allowed to speak in court, the system becomes more than dysfunctional. Only when she is dead is she hyperfunctional. “She also noted that none of the leaders of the main political parties have commented on the census and the persistence of the femicide rate.” What a shame, “she said.
Jacobs said that to address femicide and violence against women and girls: “We need to drive change by establishing what is good.”
