May 2022

 

Hello everyone, and thank you for coming out to our May vigil, on a bank holiday nonetheless. I promise not to keep you long.

This is the ninth time that we've stood here to remember those women who have been killed by men each month. When we decided to start these vigils, the aim was never to make them political, we chose the location, here by Amelie Delegrange's bench because it serves as a poignant reminder of how lives can be shattered by male violence - and not just the lives of the victims, but all of those who know her, who loved her and even more broadly - all of us who are affected by the knowledge that even in this leafy green suburb, its not always safe to walk home, and for some women, its not safe to be at home.

Despite the intention to remain non-partisan, we can't escape the fact that there is an election in three days time. An election where we choose our local councillors to represent us, to make sure our voices are heard. The Women's Equality Party don't have candidates standing in all of the wards so not everyone here will have the opportunity to vote for us, however that doesn't mean that you have no voice when it comes to the council. If you're asked for your vote in the next few days, perhaps think about asking how the liberal democrats or the conservatives plan on delivering the council's strategy for ending violence against women and girls - perhaps ask why funding has only been guaranteed for the first 12 months. The council is now White Ribbon accredited, and they should be working with all schools and businesses in the local area to spread the message to boys and men about changing their attitudes towards women and girls. Perhaps ask your candidates how they will help support the White Ribbon model.

We don't stand in elections because we are desperate for power. We stand in elections because we want those people who do hold the power to hear, over and over again - on the doorstep, in meetings, on Twitter, or however else you like to communicate - that we expect change. We expect change to the culture of misogyny that makes a man think its ok to watch pornography in the workplace - an elected official, on government business nonetheless. We expect our government, and our council, to lead by example. 56 of our MPs are currently facing allegations of sexual misconduct (that's 8.6% of all MPs or 13% of male MPs - that's 1 in every 7), another MP has just resigned for the aforementioned pornography incident and they try to tell us that there isn't a culture of misogyny in our government.  In my mind - 1 in 7 makes it a culture and I believe that culture of misogyny extends into all of our lives.  By standing in elections in Richmond, we have kept equality on the agenda, and we will continue to stand in elections - much as we continue to stand here in these vigils - until there is no reason for us to stand any longer.

Every third day in 2021 a woman was killed by a man, and unfortunately, this month has been no different. Every month when we go to the Karen Ingala Smith's website where the names and circumstances of these women's deaths are recorded, I hope that we'll start to see a decrease in the names. That the stories won't be as upsetting as the previous month. But the numbers remain steady, and the events just as horrifying and i feel so angry at the injustice behind each of these murders - the imbalance of power that lead to the deaths of another 12 women this month - three of whom are related.

Let me tell you their names and could I ask for a moment of silence whilst as remember them:

·       Samantha Drummonds, 27

·       Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45

·       Dolet Hill, 64

·       These women were grandmother, mother and daughter - the daughter's boyfriend has been charged with their murders.

·       Inayat Begum, 85

·       Katie Kenyon, 33

·       Susan Farrance, 65

·       Alyson Nelson, 64

·       Ramona Stoia, 35

·       Emma Baillie, 26

·       Sherry Bruce, 58

·       Shotera Bibi, 80

Thank you.

So before we say good bye for another month, please take a moment to think about the election on Thursday. You might be surprised to know that there are now fewer female councillors in Richmond than there were under the Conservatives... when I asked Gareth Roberts why that might be - he said he couldn't "make women stand if they didn't want to". Which makes me wonder why more women here aren't standing... perhaps its that culture that they fear... perhaps its because they don't feel like they can make a difference - whatever the reason, please know that you CAN make a difference. You have a voice here and you have a vote, so please use them both because we all deserve better.