MOSCOW (Sputnik), Jonathan Rowson – The death of Sarah Everard has gripped the United Kingdom and two prominent female lawyers told Sputnik that the country’s victim-blaming culture needed to be eroded to restore women’s faith in law enforcement and the justice system.
Everard, 33 years of age, vanished as she walked home from a friend’s house in the London region of Clapham at approximately 21:30 GMT on 3 March. Police officials one week later confirmed that they had discovered Everard’s remains in an area of Kent woodland.
Wayne Couzens, a Metropolitan Police officer, was first arrested in connection with Everard’s disappearance on 9 March and was subsequently charged with her kidnap and murder. Couzens, who is being held at London’s Belmarsh prison, appeared in court on Tuesday and is set to attend a plea hearing on 9 July.
Everard’s death has led to subsequent questions over women’s safety and trust in the police. Lawmakers, who are under pressure to take action following her death, have pledged to bring in new measures to tackle gender-based violence.
Prime Minister Calls for Culture Change
During Wednesday’s session of the prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons, Boris Johnson said that the United Kingdom needed a “change in our culture” to tackle violence against women and girls.
Several prominent social movements, including the Everyone’s Invited initiative, which was founded by Soma Sara, have urged the UK to tackle “rape culture,” defined as the attitudes, behaviours, or thoughts that normalise and trivialise sexual violence.
This sentiment was shared by Natalie Marrison, the head of abuse law at UK-based law firm Ramsdens Solicitors, who told Sputnik that more needed to be done to erode the country’s victim-blaming culture that results in women being expected to alter their behaviours and actions to protect themselves.
Demonstrators holding placards walk in a protest, following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London, Britain, March 16, 2021.
Labour leader Keir Starmer, also speaking in parliament on Wednesday, said that nine out of 10 women and girls who are subjected to sexual violence do not feel confident enough to come forward and report the crime, and Paula Rhone-Adrien, a prominent family law barrister, told Sputnik that more needed to be done to restore women’s faith in the justice system.
The barrister added that the death of Everard was a stark reminder of the everyday threats women and girls face on the streets of the United Kingdom.
The law enforcement officer arrested over the alleged murder of Sarah Everard was also reported to the police 72 hours before she disappeared, as Couzens was accused of indecent exposure in a restaurant in south London.
Protest in the aftermath of the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard in London
According to Rhone-Adrien, the failure to take Couzens into custody over this incident showed that there was little in place to protect women on the streets of the United Kingdom.
Women Take to Streets in Remembrance
On Saturday, hundreds gathered on Clapham Common, near the site of Everard’s disappearance, to hold a vigil after her death was announced.
Metropolitan Police officers stepped in to break up the vigil, citing a breach of COVID-19 social distancing regulations, and four people were reportedly detained. Photos of the arrests, showing women being held on the ground as they were handcuffed by male officers, quickly spread across social media.
Law enforcement officials had issued a ban on the vigil, and Paula Rhone-Adrien said that the event could have passed without disturbance had the police allowed the event to go ahead.
A woman hold a sign in front of police as people gather at a memorial site in Clapham Common Bandstand, following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London, Britain March 13, 2021. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
The organisers of the vigil, a movement named Reclaim These Streets, have this week called on Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick to resign, saying that they have no confidence in her ability to protect UK women and girls from abuse and violence.
Boris Johnson has publicly backed the police chief, saying that he has “full confidence” in her ability to lead the Metropolitan Police. Dick herself has said that she is not considering her position following the police response to Saturday’s vigil.
New Policing Bill Passes Parliament, Signaling Crackdown on Protest
UK lawmakers in the House of Commons on Tuesday passed the second reading of the government’s new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is set to give law enforcement chiefs greater powers to crack down on protests.
As part of the proposed new measures, law enforcement officials would be able to set noise limits on protests and enforce start and finish times for demonstrations.
Additionally, following the Black Lives Matter protests of the preceding summer, the new legislation would see individuals who damage statues face up to 10 years in prison.
A member of Black Lives Matter movement, draped on a black and white U.S. flag, stands in front of British police officers in riot gear following a protest in central London, Saturday, June 13, 2020.
The Labour leader has been fiercely critical of the new policing bill, claiming that the legislation would see rapists given more lenient prison sentences than those who damage statues, and hundreds of people rallied near the Houses of Parliament on Monday evening in protest against the bill.
Barrister Rhone-Adrien said that the new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was an attempt to stifle protest in the United Kingdom.
Natalie Marrison of Ramsdens Solicitors said that residents should respect the justice and policing system in the United Kingdom, but the lawyer also raised the issue with the government’s apparent plan to give vandals longer prison sentences than rapists.
This court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook shows serving police constable Wayne Couzens, center appearing in the dock at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, in London, Saturday, March 13, 2021
As the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Sarah Everard’s death continues, pressure groups and female lawmakers remain steadfast in exerting pressure on the government to ensure the safety of women and girls.
In a House of Commons debate on 8 March to mark International Women’s Day, Labour lawmaker Jess Phillips read out the names of 118 women who had been killed by men over the preceding year, and the government has already pledged to take “immediate steps” by improving street lighting and video surveillance systems.
Further measures are expected in the coming weeks and months to stimulate the “culture change” that the prime minister, and other prominent officials such as Priti Patel, have called for.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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