#SaySabinasName: Women’s Aid call for justice

“The death of Sabina Nessa is devastating and it is appalling that she was yet another woman who could not safely walk home. Women should be safe wherever they are, at home and in public, and this requires a whole system approach by the UK Government to address the continuum of male violence against women. However, the treatment of Sabina’s death has not been on the same level as others, and time and time again we see how victims from Black and minoritised communities do not receive the same level of attention and support. It is simply not good enough, and it has to change. Sabina’s death is as unacceptable and shocking as that of any other woman, and our headlines, TV coverage and outrage in our social media posts should reflect this.

We need urgent action from Police and the criminal justice system to ensure that violence against women and girls is treated with the gravity and importance it deserves. It should be of the highest priority that perpetrators of violence are taken seriously as a danger to women. They must be kept off the streets, with sentencing reflecting the severity of the crime and repeat offenders identified and monitored.

Last week’s HMICFRS report into the police response to Violence Against Women and Girls should be a wake-up call. We need urgent action and change to properly address violence against women and girls. We cannot accept more and more women dying at the hands of violent men.”