Black women in London facing 'crisis' as higher femicide rates revealed
Research has found 62 percent of female murder victims in the capital last year were black.
Black women in London are said to be facing a "crisis", with higher rates of femicide in the capital than other ethnic groups, figures suggest.
Femicide broadly refers to the killing of a woman or girl because of her gender, highlighting the issue of violence targeted specifically at females.
Keisha Christodoulou, a 32-year-old "funny and kind-hearted" mother of three autistic children, was fatally stabbed 17 times in her living room in 2022 while her one-year-old son was in the house.
The ex-partner of Ms Christodoulou and father of her children, Leon Murray, was charged with her murder and pleaded guilty to manslaughter on May 8. However, the Crown Prosecution Service is still pursuing the count of murder at Wood Green Crown Court.
Her younger sister Chanel Vasiliou, 31, from London, told the PA news agency that there needs to be "tougher laws against men committing violence or murder against women".
Southall Black Sisters, an organisation dedicated to assisting society's most marginalised victims of abuse, said that while the findings are "really shocking," it sadly does not come as a surprise that there's a disproportionate impact on black women.
The figures have been obtained by the PA news agency from the Metropolitan Police in a Freedom of Information request. They show that:
- Of the 21 femicide victims recorded by the Metropolitan Police in 2022, nine (43%) were black while eight of the 13 victims in 2023 (62%) were black.
- These figures suggest black women are being disproportionately targeted when compared with the ethnic breakdown of the female population of London, where just 14% are black, according to the 2021 census.
- By contrast, four of the 21 victims in 2022 were white, along with one of the 13 victims in 2013, while white women make up over half (53%) of London's female population.
- The pattern was different in 2021, however, with 25 femicide victims recorded by the Met, of whom 20 (80%) were white and three (12%) were black.
Ms Vasiliou told the PA news agency that femicide and violence against women are not receiving "the level of attention and care" they urgently need, and emphasised the necessity for more "culturally specific services" for black women.
She said: "There needs to be more culturally specific services for black women where they feel safe to turn to. It also shows the lack of care and protection for marginalised communities. More advocacy and services specifically for black women, by black women is a must.
"I feel there need to be tougher laws against men committing violence or murder against women. Our women need to be protected, and right now, they are not."
"There's also not enough media coverage around women killed in their homes by their partners. It's not made into a big issue like gang violence and knife crime on the streets, which you see every single day. But you see next to nothing about innocent women being murdered in their homes, often in front of their children."
Met Police data also shows that sharp instruments were the most common method for killing the victims, being used in 13 of the 25 femicides recorded in 2021, 16 of the 21 in 2022 and seven of the 13 in 2023.
Ms Vasiliou added that there needs to be more awareness in schools and colleges to teach children about the signs of an abusive partner.
After Ms Christodoulou's death, Ms Vasiliou founded Keisha's Place, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness about domestic abuse and its dangers, in honour of her sister.
"It's something I've always wanted to do, having been in a DV (domestic violent) relationship myself many years ago and multiple friends previously suffering in DV relationships. So, when this happened to Keisha, I knew right away that this was my calling," she said.
"I am dedicated to helping women flee domestic abuse safely and rebuild their lives away from violence. My journey in this has only just begun and I have so much more to do."
Ms Vasiliou said Ms Christodoulou's death "tore" their family apart and altered their lives forever, and that her mother is currently taking care of her three children.
She said: "Our friends and family still to this day cannot believe that this has happened to Keisha, our hearts break over and over for her and what she endured.
"We are all still suffering from the effects of her death and we forever will. Her children lost both their mother and father."
The Femicide Census, a database providing detailed information on women killed in the UK and their perpetrators, criticised the Met Police and the Mayor of London, saying they "simply don't care enough" about femicide.
Clarrie O'Callaghan, 49, from the Femicide Census, told PA that there has been a "woeful disregard" for the experiences of black and minoritised women in London.
She added that despite multiple freedom of information requests, the Met Police for nearly a decade has never provided them with data similar to that provided to the PA until this year.
She said: "The fact that they (Met Police) have steadfastly resisted giving us the data... it's a good indicator to say, where are their priorities, where do they want to focus attention."
Selma Taha, 52, from Southall Black Sisters, told PA: "Racism and sexism are deeply entrenched in the UK's system. At the intersection of race and sex, black women are disproportionately impacted and failed as a result. Black femicide is a form of violence against women and girls (VAWG) that reflects these prejudices, both in the act of violence and in the systemic response to it.
"Why is the value of black women's lives so obsolete, they're facing a crisis... we need politicians and the police to step up."
Commander Kevin Southworth, who leads Public Protection for the Met, told PA: "We take violence against women and girls in all its forms extremely seriously and are dedicated to being open and transparent with our data.
"We provided data for all women who had been killed between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021 to the Femicide Consensus - the data that was not released was due to families who did not wish for the victims' data and details to be shared in any form.
"We are committed to protecting those who are at risk, regardless of their ethnicity or faith, and understand that communities are affected in different ways. We work with victim-survivors, charities and partners to listen to, transform and improve our response to all victims."