Camilla calls for violence against women to end
The Duchess paid tribute to Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa and all those whose lives have been "brutally ended"
Last updated 27th May 2022
The Duchess of Cornwall called for the end of violence against women, acknowledging Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa, at a reception for the Shameless! Festival at the Wellcome Collection in London.
While urging for their names to "never be forgotten", she recalled a victim impact statement read out in court by Sarah Everard's mother, Susan, describing it as "searing".
Camilla said: "Each one of these women endured unimaginable torment - and their loved ones who are left behind continue to suffer in the wake of their deaths.
"On September 30, Sarah Everard's mother stood before her daughter's killer to give her searing victim impact statement."
After quoting from the statement, the Duchess added: "I know that all of you here today join me in paying tribute to all these precious lives that have been brutally ended, and in renewing our commitment to do everything we can to bring about the end of violence against women."
She added that a crime survey for England and Wales showed that 144,000 women were victims of rape or attempted rape in the last year, which equates to roughly 16 every hour.
Let's encourage survivors to be 'shameless'
Camilla said she hoped the upcoming Shameless! Festival would help create the world free from violence against women.
The Festival is a collaboration between the Women of the World (WOW) Foundation, of which she is president, and Birkbeck, University of London's SHaME (Sexual Harms and Medical Encounters) project.
"Together, today, let us resolve to support survivors to be 'shameless' and not to take on misplaced feelings of stigma," she said.
"Through speaking up about our experiences, we break the wall of silence that allows perpetrators to go unpunished and increases the feeling of isolation that so many survivors describe."
She also urged for men to get involved in the movement, saying they need to be "on board" to tackle violence against women.
"Because how many more women must be harassed, raped or murdered before we truly unite to forge a violence-free world?" Camilla asked.
The Shameless! Festival will take place at Battersea Arts Centre on 27th November, where it aims to "bring together activism and art to confront and change attitudes towards sexual violence".
Camilla's support for victims of sexual and domestic violence
Camilla has previously been an advocate for preventing and addressing the issue of sexual violence and harassment.
In 2017, she worked with Boots to launch the Wash Bag Project, a scheme that provides a wash bag of toiletries to sexual abuse survivors across the UK.
In March last year, she spoke about domestic violence at the WOW Festival.
She also recorded a video message for the United Nation's Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in November.
In September, the duchess was named patron of the Mirabel Sexual Assault Centre in Lagos.
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