November 2024

Thank you all for coming to tonight’s Vigil, where each month pay our respects to the victims of Violence against Women and Girls.

 

I’d like to start by acknowledging the installation of the lighting on the path across Twickenham Green.

I’m sure you remember we worked with Councilor Rhi Lee to encourage this action on the 20^th anniversary of the murder of Amelie Delagrange here.

A Council press release says that “Following long-standing community requests for better lighting after Amelie Delagrange's murder, we have commenced the installation of solar-powered LED lights on Twickenham Green.

While lighting was not initially recommended as an effective safety proposal, advancements in technology have now meant the Metropolitan Police support it as a viable measure to improve personal safety and confidence when crossing the green.

 

The new lights will use motion and daylight sensors, dimming during quiet hours and brightening when movement is detected, ensuring both energy efficiency and minimal disruption to wildlife.”

 

Unfortunately, the press release also makes it clear that this is a 12-month pilot scheme. The effectiveness of the lighting will be monitored, collecting feedback from the community and assessing the impact on safety, public perception and the environment. 

 

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the monitoring process is a thorough one and that the outcome is positive.

 

 

The Council also acknowledges that while Richmond upon Thames remains the safest borough in London, Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) has risen nationwide, including locally. We are actively combating VAWG through increased resources, awareness initiatives like White Ribbon walks, training programmes and partnerships with local organisations.

 

We can only hope that this vigil one day becomes a Council partnership with a local organisation, since it undoubtedly raises awareness of the issue.

 

 

To remind you the names of the women we have been honouring each month come from Karen Ingala-Smith, an academic and charity CEO who writes a blog called “Counting Dead Women”.

She and her team collate information about UK women who have been killed by men (or where men are the principal suspect in an ongoing enquiry).

And, again, they are the only central source we can find for this information – neither central government nor the police deem it to be a crime that requires monitoring on its own right.

Now, we have potential good news because since we last met the list has only been increased by two names:

23 October 2024: Rhiannon Slye Whyte, 27, died in hospital after being stabbed at a train station in Walsall on 20 October 24. Deng Chol Majek, 18, is charged with her murder.

24 October 2024: Catherine Flynn, 69, also known as Cathy, was attacked at a house in Rhyl, Wales and died shortly after in hospital. Dean Mark Albert Mears, 33, has been charged with murder and burglary with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

 

So maybe they have more or less stopped – the men who kill women – but I suspect not.

 

I’m going to leave you with a report from BBC Northern Ireland which was published on October 16^th. The UK as a population of around 68 million and Norther Ireland makes up just under 2 of those 68, so I think this is a tiny but representative proportion of the bigger picture, and – trigger warning - the piece struck me by how impactfully it added personality to some horrendous facts and figures.

 

 

Since 2020, 24 women have been violently killed in Northern Ireland.

 

Each one of them was a daughter, the majority of them mothers.

 

They were sisters, aunts, friends and some of them were grandmothers.

 

In each case, for the women's families and friends, the trauma of their deaths will be felt forever and be passed down to the next generation.

 

In at least 20 of the 24 deaths, the killers - or the suspects in their killings - were well-known to the women.

 

That figure could be higher as the relationship to some of those accused of the killings is not yet known.

 

Those that have been accused or convicted of the killings include husbands, partners, ex-partners, brothers, sons, a friend and a grandson.

 

At least 18 of the 24 women were attacked or killed in their own homes.

 

The women who have been killed ranged in age from their 20s to their 80s.

At least 18 of the women were mothers. Another, was pregnant when she was killed.

 

In four cases, the women’s children were present at the properties where they were attacked.

 

Each of these women have left behind heartbroken families.

 

 

 

So let’s hope that just two reported killings since we last me means that the problem is on its way to being eradicated.

But let’s be realistic and suspect that it’s not.

 

Thanks for your attention, the next Vigil will take place on Monday 2^nd December, looking forward to seeing you then.