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Our Silence Will Not Protect Us
My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you … What do you need to say? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence?
- Audre Lorde
In March 2021 women[1] across the UK publicly broke their silence. Sarah Everard’s disappearance and the subsequent news of her murder was the spark that ignited a fire. For a spell that fire burned fiercely, fuelled by the pent-up rage and pain of women who were sick of: ‘text me when you get home’; keys between fingers; avoiding poorly lit shortcuts; assessing outfits for blameability and constant, exhausting hyper vigilance on the streets. And sick of the knowledge that despite all of this, despite all our efforts to avoid being assaulted, raped and/or murdered, should anything happen to us, we would be held accountable[2].
It was in this uprising that Reclaim These Streets Edinburgh (RTS Edinburgh) was born; from the desire to not only to recognise this act of femicide but to situate it within the context of misogyny and gender-based violence. An antidote to the more socially acceptable, media friendly, status-quo-upholding narrative that Sarah’s murder was the heinous act of a depraved individual. Instead of what it really was - the logical consequence of a society in which women are routinely objectified, degraded and dehumanised.
it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken.
- Audre Lorde
As with all grassroots groups that arise in response to a specific incident, RTS Edinburgh has evolved, and continues to do so. We are committed to the process of unlearning and relearning, so that our feminism is truly intersectional. And a vital part of that process is acknowledging and naming the fact that the media and public outcry following Sarah Everard’s disappearance and murder, has been notably absent in the face of the murders of black women and non-black women of colour.
While it would be nigh on impossible to find an individual in the UK who had not heard the name Sarah Everard, the same could not be said of Nicole Smallman, Bibaa Henry, Fawziyah Javed or Sabina Nessa. The Met has been widely, and rightly, condemned for allowing Sarah’s murderer onto the force. The condemnation of the officers who dismissed the concerns of Nicole and Bibaa’s mum when they disappeared, has been at a lower volume. The condemnation of the officers who took selfies with Nicole and Bibaa’s bodies has also been less vociferous. As Lorde reflects, ‘there are so many silences to be broken’; when it comes to femicide, the impact of racism and white supremacy must be named.
Another silence recognised by RTS Edinburgh is the murder of women by men they know. These women receive scant media attention, if any, often relegated to a footnote or passing mention on BBC News website. Their killings are a challenge to us all, contradicting the stranger danger narrative and confronting us with the reality that we are significantly more likely to be killed by someone we know, than a stranger.
This is evidenced by The Femicide Census, which found that of the 1,425 women and girls aged 14 and over killed between 2009-2018, 888 were killed by a current or former partner. To date in the UK, at least 122 women have been killed by men in 2021.
Eileen Dean
Sue Addis
Jacqueline Price
Ranjit Gill
Linda Maggs
Mother and daughter Emma Robertson and Nicole Anderson
Susan Hannaby
Michelle Lizanec
Wieslawa Mierzejewska
Christina Arnold
Tina Eyre
Karen McClean
Stacey Knell
Phyllis Nelson
Women who were all dead by the end of March 2021. Women who were all murdered by men. Women who were all murdered by a partner, former partner, husband, ex-husband or man known to them. Have you heard of them? I hadn’t till now.
Lorde calls for ‘the transformation of silence into language and action’. At RTS Edinburgh we commit to breaking the silence, and to action. Not just for these 16 days but for all of the days that come after. And for all women.
Join us.
References
[1] Throughout this blog post any reference to women is inclusive of ALL women [2] Stunningly demonstrated by North Yorkshire police commissioner’s comment in the wake of the trial of Sarah’s murderer. Turns out that women need to be ‘streetwise’ and learn the rules of lawful arrest to avoid being kidnapped and murdered by police officers. Who knew.
Support:
Find out more about the support offered by Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre here.
Rape Crisis Scotland's helpline 08088 01 03 02 (6pm - midnight every night) offers free and confidential support and information. They offer support to anyone aged 13 and over, of any gender, affected by any form of sexual violence, no matter when or how it happened. They support survivors, as well as family, friends, and supporters. They can arrange for free language interpreters, including British Sign Language, to access support if your first language is not English.
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