MPs observed a moment of silence today while the names of 110 women who lost their lives at the hands of men in the past year were read aloud in Parliament. This annual commemoration, now in its 11th year, is led by Jess Phillips as part of her collaboration with Counting Dead Women, a project affiliated with the Femicide Census. Phillips emphasized the urgency of addressing the pervasive violence faced by women and girls across the nation, both in physical spaces and online.
After reciting the list of victims, Phillips called for justice and prevention measures to safeguard other women from similar fates. As a Home Office minister, she pledged to implement the recommendations from domestic homicide reviews to ensure effective action is taken. Among the tragic cases highlighted were those of Courtney Angus, Brenda Breed, Vanessa Whyte, James Rutledge, Sara Rutledge, Stephanie Blundell, Isobella Knight, and Dawn Kerr.
Clarrie O’Callaghan from the Femicide Census stressed the need for societal change to combat violence against women, citing underreporting and inadequate prosecution as major issues. Karen Ingala Smith echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the importance of early interventions to prevent further tragedies.
Layla Coe, CEO of Killed Women, expressed gratitude for Phillips’s ongoing dedication to reading the names annually and called for concrete actions to end violence against women. Dr. Hannana Siddiqui OBE urged the government to launch a public inquiry into femicide, highlighting the disproportionate impact on Black, minoritized, and migrant women.
Domestic Abuse Commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs emphasized the importance of swift action and addressing misogynistic attitudes to prevent further domestic abuse-related deaths. The list compiled by the Femicide Census documents cases of women killed by men in the UK or where a man has been charged since the previous International Women’s Day.
