Latest news with #FemicideCensus
The Guardian
09-03-2025
- The Guardian
The Observer view: This grim roll call of femicide will only end if we stop letting killers off lightly
It is the grimmest of roll calls: to mark International Women's Day, the names of women killed by men over the past year are read out in the House of Commons by Jess Phillips MP, now the minister for violence against women and girls. This year the number stood at 95. It was accompanied by a report by the charity Femicide Census setting out the characteristics of the 2,000 killings of women by men since 2009 where criminal justice proceedings have been completed. The charity compiles the list annually, and without this important work, based on freedom of information requests to the police and extensive media monitoring, we would have no national oversight of the number of women known to be killed by men in the UK. Since 2009, it has amounted to one every three days on average. And these are just the cases we know about; the campaign group Killed Women estimates that there could be as many as 130 'hidden homicides' a year where a woman is killed by a partner or family member but the death is recorded as accidental or suicide. Male violence against women and girls is the most toxic symptom of a patriarchal society that is riven with gender inequalities. In recent decades, despite some important changes, too little has been done to address the scourge of men physically and emotionally abusing women and children. The data shows that the most dangerous place for these women is behind closed doors: for seven out of 10 women killed by men, it happens in their own home. Six in 10 are killed by their partners; almost one in 10 by their son; just 9% are killed by a stranger. Work by the criminologist Dr Jane Monckton Smith has found that men do not kill women they know out of the blue: there is almost always a pattern to femicide that includes a pre-relationship history of stalking or abuse; a romance quickly developing into a serious relationship that becomes dominated by coercive control; a trigger that threatens the man's control, such as a threat to leave the relationship or the relationship ending; and a resulting escalation in his control, such as stalking or threatening suicide. These behaviour patterns mean that such killings should be preventable. Yet we still have a criminal justice system that – despite recent reforms – sometimes allows men who kill women to be treated lightly by pleading manslaughter on the basis of loss of control. Femicide Census argues that this appears to constitute 'a state-sanctioned means by which previously violent men can limit their liability for fatal violent acts'. In many of the cases reviewed in the report, the qualifying trigger for a loss of control was the victim leaving an abusive relationship or entering a new relationship. The most dangerous moment for a victim is the point at which she leaves her male partner, or indicates a desire to leave. It is perverse that this aspect of the law appears in practice to make allowances for men who kill women exercising their right to leave an abusive and violent relationship. And too little is spent on monitoring men with a known history of violence against women, including those known to be repeat offenders. Sign up to Observed Analysis and opinion on the week's news and culture brought to you by the best Observer writers after newsletter promotion The Labour government has an ambitious target to halve male violence against women and girls. But it has yet to define what would constitute success against this, let alone set out a properly resourced plan for keeping women and children safe from the dangerous men who kill. Only that can bring the rate of femicide down.
The Guardian
08-03-2025
- The Guardian
I adore my children. I'm also scared that one day my son will kill me
I am staring at the faces of women on my screen, transfixed by emotions too complex to disentangle; discernible, though, are grief, rage... and fear. For the women pictured are some of the more than 170 who have been killed by their sons in the UK in the past 15 years. Their appalling tragedy – being killed by the person to whom they gave life – has a chilling resonance. Like many of those whose deaths have been highlighted in the 2,000 Women report by the Femicide Census, I am a professional with adored adult children and a close circle of friends. I am also frightened of my son. The women's backstories are all too familiar – that is, an adult son with mental health and social problems, drug misuse, neurological diagnoses and a history of controlling and violent behaviour. Invariably, the perpetrators have fallen through every net designed to safeguard them. Often such a net never existed. It is a peculiar place to inhabit, to be simultaneously scared of your son while desperately wanting to hold and support him. It is hard enough to walk away from an abusive partner, let alone your child, whose vulnerabilities and misery claw at the heart. My son lives in a state of deep unhappiness, prey to stimuli he can't filter, fraught social encounters, chronic anxiety and physical discomfort. Life is bewildering, painful, hard. At 24, he is a young man with learning disabilities and no hope of any of the aspirations of neurotypical peers: no career ladder, no partner, no festivals or functional friendships. Life is something to be battled and endured. I would not spend a minute in his shoes. He needs me for support, advocacy and protection. He still sleeps with his security blanket. I can't and won't walk away. But I often wish I could. On my phone is a recent text, the words 'fucking cunt' written repeatedly. It was sent because I had blocked his calls after being asked the same question for 20 minutes. I was at work. He rang a further 76 times. Such messages are common, as is driving somewhere while he violently elbows the seat close to me – the list of challenging behaviours is exhaustive and exhausting. It is not just autistic meltdowns caused by an inability to regulate emotions but an expression of deep-seated mental health problems. In the photographs, I see resilient, smart, smiling women – doing their best to live normally against a backdrop of abnormality few can relate to. I am paralysed with sorrow for them, as I am for the mainly young men who killed the one person who loved and supported them the most. In many instances the women sought help. The inquest into the death of Sally Poynton, 44, stabbed repeatedly by her 22-year-old son Jacob Poynton-Whiting during a severe psychotic episode in June 2021, found that her death could have been avoided if her son's mental health condition had been diagnosed sooner. She had tried more than 20 times to get help for him. That matricide is largely linked to mental health is borne out by research that is soon to be published. It was reported last week that academics Prof Rachel Condry and Dr Caroline Miles, from the universities of Oxford and Manchester, in collaboration with the Femicide Census, have found that in cases of women being killed by their sons and grandsons from 2009-2021, 70% involved perpetrators with mental health problems. Yet help is too often either not forthcoming or ineffectual because, in the words of the British Medical Association, our mental health and social care systems are 'broken'. In its Mental Health Report 2024, the BMA pointed to key areas it said needed 'urgent action' including underfunding; lack of trained staff in health and social care; and support systems operating in silos. In our case, my son does not merit a dedicated social worker because he isn't perceived to be in crisis. That he isn't thriving physically or emotionally is not reason enough to intervene. The social care system is reactively predicated – action happens when a crisis presents, not when it might have been prevented. As for mental health, like many adults on the autistic spectrum, he falls through the gaps. There have been no mental health interventions since he turned 18 and ceased to be eligible for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. Yet my son desperately needs therapeutic input to help manage his anxiety, depression and emotions, alongside medications prescribed by an expert in his diagnoses, which include autism, pathological demand avoidance, ADHD and OCD. Medication is managed by a GP who, while competent, is not trained specifically in mental health and neurodivergent conditions. Crucially, he needs help navigating his complex feelings towards me. A misfiring mother-son relationship isn't, of course, confined to the neurodivergent, nor is it new. The Orestes complex, in which a son harbours the unconscious desire to kill his mother, is a parable dating back to ancient Greece. Friends complain of walking on eggshells around sullen adult neurotypical sons. But during flashpoints, their sons roll their eyes or behave peevishly. With a son who is hostage to unregulated emotions, flashpoints can be tragically fatal. This is where societal structures should save lives. Mental health support that offers tools to manage emotions, joined up with a social care system that enables those with behavioural and social challenges to thrive. And residential and supported living that offers community, activities and cohesion, rather than simply warehousing vulnerable people. Yet such a picture seems depressingly far off, and I fear this year won't have been the last International Women's Day marked by reports of failings that led to deaths and shattered families. It is inevitably parents, particularly mothers, who bear the brunt of systemic failures and step in to support volatile, troubled sons. That they may be in danger is often overlooked; Condry points to a case where a man's medical notes said he shouldn't be left alone with female staff, 'but nobody had questioned whether he should live on his own with his mother'. My son was removed from the house in 2018, not because he was attacking me but because there were minors present. I remain very involved in his care, but at times I feel unsafe. Sitting in the quiet of my house, it seems dramatic to write these next words, but had he remained living with me, I believe my picture could have been among those women. I can't say it never will be.
The Guardian
06-03-2025
- The Guardian
‘My child would use anything as a weapon': the parents who live in fear of their offspring
Erin knows her three children haven't had an easy time. When they were growing up, her partner was abusive towards her and the children witnessed violence and coercion at home before she found the strength to end the relationship. A few years later, her child Jay – then in their early teens – disclosed that a trusted adult had sexually abused them. Erin, a successful businesswoman, has always believed Jay. She reported the abuse to police and severed ties with the alleged perpetrator. But Jay's behaviour began to change. They threw knives at Erin. They set fires in the house. 'They would use anything as a weapon to cause injury and harm,' Erin says. Often, Erin was forced to barricade herself inside her bedroom when Jay tried to attack her, while the other children fled the house. In many ways, she felt as if she was living with her abusive ex again. When Erin was with her ex, she knew there was help available for victims of domestic abuse. But when she sought support for Jay's behaviour, she felt as if she was hitting a brick wall. A mental health assessment concluded that Jay was not struggling with any psychological conditions. Social workers focused on how Erin could improve her parenting and downplayed the severity of Jay's behaviour. Eventually, afraid that Jay would kill her, or one of her other children, Erin begged her local authority to take Jay into care. It wasn't until Jay made a credible attempt to kill one of their siblings that she succeeded. Erin didn't know it at the time, but Jay's behaviour towards her had a name – or rather, lots of names. Among other terms, it is called filial violence, child-to-parent abuse or child-against-parent aggression. There is no legal definition but the national domestic abuse charity Respect uses the acronym Capva (Child and Adolescent to Parent Violence and Abuse) as a term to describe a person aged between eight and 18 who engages in 'harmful and repeated' abusive behaviour. This might include physical violence, sexual and economic abuse or 'emotional, coercive or controlling behaviour'. Over the last two decades, interest in Capva has risen steadily among academics, social workers and practitioners in sectors including domestic abuse, adoption and mental health services. The pandemic saw a surge in reported cases and today, specialist services working to address child-to-parent abuse report that they cannot keep up with demand. A storyline about this issue even featured in EastEnders last year, as Kat Slater struggled to cope with the increasingly violent behaviour of her teenage son Tommy. A new report by Femicide Census on more than 170 UK mothers killed by their sons (of all ages) in the past 15 years observed that mothers were sometimes considered a 'safe space' for children to mete out violence. But this gradual growth in awareness has yet to translate into families getting the support they need. In a recent landmark survey by Respect, British parents shared their experiences of Capva. The survey report paints a picture of desperate parents punched in the face so they need stitches; attacked with knives and other weapons; suffering heart attacks due to the stress of their situations. It also highlights the silence, stigma and lack of understanding that surround child-to-parent abuse. More than half of parents experiencing Capva told Respect they had not sought support at all; of these, 68% said this was because they were ashamed or worried about the stigma or judgment from professionals. 'Shame and blame are really prevalent issues for Capva, and I think they are part of the reason this issue can stay hidden for so long,' says Justine Dodd, head of young people's services at Respect. 'Parents will maybe reach out to family and friends at first and get a response that's quite shaming. Unfortunately, sometimes professionals in services working with children have very similar responses.' Dodd says she often hears of parents who are told they simply need to 'get a grip of their kids and take charge' – by friends, family or frontline practitioners such as social workers, police officers and teachers. 'All of this is because of a lack of awareness,' she says. 'If you haven't seen Capva in action, it can be hard to conceptualise that somebody might be really frightened of their children.' Michelle John is the founder of Pegs (Parental Education Growth Support), a social enterprise launched in 2020 to support parents and caregivers affected by child-to-parent abuse. She compares the disbelief and victim-blaming to the way domestic abuse was widely talked about in the 1960s or 70s. 'There are those really damaging attitudes: 'Just tell him no.' 'You must be doing something wrong.' 'Put up and shut up',' she says. Between 2023 and 2024, Pegs saw a 70% increase in referrals. John met a solicitor recently and mentioned what her organisation does. 'They laughed and said: 'That doesn't happen.'' Helen Bonnick first met a mother who was scared of her child in the 1980s, when she was a social worker in London. Recently awarded an MBE for her work to raise awareness of child-to-parent abuse, Bonnick remembers how the idea that parents should be held responsible for curbing their children's harmful behaviour dominated public discourse in the 1990s, as Tony Blair's Labour government began to send people on mandatory parenting courses via antisocial behaviour orders. Bonnick was sure the fearful parents she met through her work in social services, and then in education, were facing problems beyond 'normal teenage stuff'. But, she says, the prevailing political narrative was that if your child was being violent or aggressive, 'you, as a parent, needed to pull your socks up'. In 2025, some cultural narratives around raising children may look very different – this is an era of gentler parenting, after all. But judgment and shame still underscore conversations about raising families, and modern parents who can't stop their child from hurting them report receiving similar messages about how they are failing. 'You do worry that you sound like a really weak parent,' says Tim. He lives with his partner Charlie and their 12-year-old son Silas. When Silas was younger, some teachers dismissed him as naughty and he was often punished. Later in childhood, he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Today, he regularly blocks doorways, punches Tim in the stomach and jabs him in the chest. Insults, swearing and name-calling are a daily occurrence. There are moments of joy and peace – Tim chuckles as he describes watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with his son and doing 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles together at the kitchen table. But more often, Tim feels scared in his own home. 'Silas's behaviour feels more threatening as he's got bigger and stronger. His language is becoming more sophisticated, too. He'll be really aggressive, two inches from my face. Then he'll flip into talking really calmly, like: 'I'm not wound up at all.' It can feel like you're being gaslit.' Silas was adopted so Tim and Charlie have had readier access to professional support than some other parents. On top of the training they had as part of the adoption process, the couple have attended three intensive courses on 'positive parenting', five workshops on raising neurodiverse children and multiple child psychotherapy webinars. None of this has made a meaningful difference to Silas's violence and aggression. 'It feels like the message is: 'If you just learn to parent a bit better, all this will go away.'' Tim says. When that doesn't work, 'you start to feel powerless. There's a real sense of despair.' It is no surprise that traditional parenting strategies, which focus on rewards and consequences, don't work for families like Tim's. While there is no one reason for child-to-parent abuse, or one type of family in which these dynamics play out, research suggests that neurodivergence and the experience of care – including fostering and adoption – can be compounding factors. Children who have grown up in homes where intimate partner violence is present may also be more likely to engage in child-to-parent abuse themselves. Overall, a child who has 'experienced loss, grief, trauma, adverse childhood experiences, bullying at school, parental conflict, domestic violence, mental health issues [of] a parent, mental health issues for themselves [and/or] neurodiversity' may find it extremely difficult to communicate their needs or emotions, says Jane Griffiths, the co-founder of Capa First Response, an online support service for families affected by child-to-parent aggression. In these situations, some children may resort to 'externalising' their emotions by displaying violent or harmful behaviour, Griffiths explains. An effective response to child-to-parent aggression, she says, has to involve helping children and parents to learn to communicate with one another. 'This is not an issue that can be resolved by putting boundaries in place or using star charts.' For parents, finding a way to communicate to other adults what they are going through – simply having the right language to describe their experience, and trusting that others will believe them – is essential. Yet there is no legal definition of child-to-parent abuse. A Home Office consultation was held in early 2024 but shelved when the general election was called. Meanwhile, parents and professionals are divided over whether the word 'abuse' should be used at all. Many parents feel the word is the only way to adequately convey their suffering. Others recoil from it, fearing that it further stigmatises the vulnerable children involved. Dolly certainly doesn't think of her 15-year-old son Jack as abusive. Instead she describes him as outgoing, charismatic, cheeky, struggling with big emotions. Jack's dad has never been around, but he has grown up surrounded by a tight-knit, affectionate family that many would envy. He loves motorbikes and keeps busy with extracurricular clubs; he has no special educational needs. 'From the outside, Jack's got a great life,' says Dolly. 'He doesn't want for anything.' But around the start of the pandemic, Jack began lashing out at Dolly. 'He's never punched me. There have only been a couple of occasions where I really felt like he was going to hit me,' she says. 'But he's kicked me and been very violent around me – hitting or kicking or punching the windows or the doors, screaming.' Jack is much taller than Dolly now, and can 'be really scary', she says. 'I think he knows he can intimidate me.' Predictably, some relatives have suggested that she simply needs to be tougher. 'My dad said: 'If he hits you, you hit him right back.'' But Dolly didn't want to hurt her son – she wanted to understand him. Recently Dolly and Jack came to the end of Respect's Young People's Programme, a three-month intervention for families where children or young people are being abusive or violent towards their parents or carers. Families participate in sessions designed to help them identify negative behaviour patterns and work together to improve their situation. Evidence so far suggests this approach can make a meaningful difference: one evaluation in Cambridge found the programme reduced violence and abusive behaviour for all parents and carers who took part, while a recent pilot in Norfolk reported that 100% of children said the programme helped to improve their relationship with their parent or caregiver. Dolly was particularly moved by sessions in which she and Jack recorded voice notes for each other, guided by a trained practitioner from the relationships charity Talk Listen Change. 'Jack said some things he'd never told me before about his feelings about his dad. I said his behaviour does scare me sometimes,' she says. 'He was shocked by that.' While Jack has not stopped being aggressive to Dolly entirely, she feels that they both have new tools to communicate their emotions and needs. 'It's helped because it's not a parenting course aimed at me,' she adds. 'It's about him.' Capa First Response's approach, which draws on neuroscience and attachment theory, is designed to help whole families develop strategies for communicating emotions. It has also seen positive results: 96% of parents who have worked with the organisation reported feeling more confident about working with their child to change their behaviour, while 83% said they felt better able to seek support from others. Inevitably, resources are limited. Most families have to wait years to get this kind of help. Long-term funding is desperately needed for specialist support, especially for families with neurodivergent children. More training is needed for professionals in social care, education, health and the police. In the meantime, says Justine Dodd, of Respect, compassionate, honest conversations about child-to-parent abuse will help to bring the issue out of the shadows so that families don't have to suffer in silence. 'We cannot solve a problem that cannot be discussed.' Names and some details have been changed to protect privacy. Further information and support: Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
The Guardian
06-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Thursday briefing: What a new report reveals about the mothers being killed by their sons
Good morning. Bhajan Kaur was killed by her son after he was arrested on suspicion of coercive and controlling behaviour. Mary Haley was killed by her son at home after he had spent weeks demanding money from her. Sally Poynton was killed by her son after he was discharged from a mental health unit without a diagnosis or support plan. These cases sound like horrifying outliers – but they are part of a pattern. Nearly one in 10 of all women who died at the hands of men in the last 15 years were killed by their sons. Those are the bleak facts laid out by Alexandra Topping and Jessica Murray in reporting this week on a new report published by the Femicide Census, a group that collates data on the killing of women by men. Yesterday, Alexandra published a new story, which revealed that one in eight women killed by men are over 70, and carried warnings their vulnerability is not properly recognised. While every case has its own specific circumstances, experts say that misogyny is a theme throughout – and that because the situation has previously been so poorly understood, not enough is being done to address it. For today's newsletter, I spoke to Alexandra Topping about what we now know about the nature of the problem – and what can be done to stop it. Here are the headlines. Ukraine | The US has stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine after Donald Trump's suspension of military aid on Monday, in another serious blow to Kyiv in the war with Russia. Ukrainian officials suggested the US would no longer provide information about targets inside Russia, hindering Ukraine's ability to carry out effective long-range drone strikes. UK news | Police fear the PhD student convicted of drugging and raping 10 women could be one of the worst sexual offenders in British history after recovering videos of him attacking a further 50 victims. Zhenhao Zou, 28, was convicted on Wednesday of raping three women in London and seven in China between 2019 and 2024. Israel-Gaza war | Donald Trump has posted a fresh ultimatum to Hamas, telling the group in a social media post that 'it is OVER for you' if the remaining hostages are not released immediately. Trump also appeared to threaten Palestinian civilians in Gaza, saying that if the hostages are not freed 'you are DEAD!' Antibiotics | Scientists have developed a rapid DNA sequencing system to stem the rise of superbugs by identifying bacterial infections faster and more accurately. The pioneering system, successfully trialled in 2,000 NHS patients, is already helping doctors offer better-targeted treatments earlier. Gambling | A woman who was told by Paddy Power that she had won £1m only to received £20,000 because the gambling giant said that the 'monster jackpot' award had been an error has been awarded the full sum by the high court. Mr Justice Ritchie said that the idea of 'what you see is what you get' was 'central' to the game. The data that informs Alexandra Topping and Jessica Murray's reporting this week is gleaned from the 2,000 Women report, conducted by the Femicide Census. The fact that women are sometimes killed by their sons will not be news to experts in the field – but even they may not know the frequency with which it is happening. 'If you work in domestic abuse settings, you know about the abuse of older women,' Alexandra said. 'It wouldn't be entirely surprising. But nearly one in 10 murders of women by men being sons killing mothers – I think the extent of it would shock even those in the sector.' Why is this happening? 'The data shows us that mental health problems play a big part,' Alexandra said – 58% of cases analysed in the report, and 70% of cases where women were killed by their sons and grandsons in a linked academic study to be published soon. 'But in a lot of cases, these are women who have gone to the authorities with their fears. One thing that really stood out to me is the cases where a mental health problem has been identified, and there may be an order in place that a young man can't have contact with other women – but he can continue to have contact with his mother, and no risk assessment is done.' Another bleak social factor appears to be the increase in the numbers of young men living at home well into adulthood. 'That is often because of a lack of affordable housing,' Alexandra said. 'We see cases where that puts more pressure on family dynamics, and also means that mothers are just living in closer proximity to their sons. 'What is also fundamentally true is that these killings cannot be treated in isolation. And even in many cases where mental health is a factor, the same thing is at the root of sons killing mothers or intimate partners, and that is misogyny.' How does this change our understanding of femicide in the UK? Before the Femicide Census started gathering data on the killing of women by men in 2015, there was very little data available on the circumstances of these cases. As the project's founders Karen Ingala Smith and Clarissa O'Callaghan write here: 'By collating femicides, we can see that these killings are not isolated incidents, and many follow repeated patterns.' There is now a growing body of research. But even as the data has been developed, the particular issues of sons killing mothers, and of older women being killed by men, has been poorly understood. The new report helps address that gap. 'It's really a hidden problem,' Alexandra said. 'The experts say that we don't know enough about this in part because it's a subject shrouded in shame: women being abused by their sons may not feel able to reach out for help. Or it may be that the help simply isn't there. You can't provide the support unless you know the problem exists, and these statistics aren't available anywhere else.' Aren't fathers just as likely to be killed? It is true that fathers and mothers are killed by their children in roughly similar numbers – but that fact masks some crucial points that lend weight to the case that this is a specifically misogynist problem. First, there is the fact that in the overwhelming majority of both types of case, the killer is a man. 'There is no shortage of daughters suffering mental health problems, but they are vanishingly unlikely to murder a parent,' Alexandra said. Second, there is the fact that matricide makes up a much larger proportion of all killings of women than patricide does of killings of men – and while that is partly because more men are killed overall, it is also true that those cases are much more likely to be in violent altercations: women are much more likely to be killed because they are women. Third, there is the grim fact that mothers are more likely than fathers to be the victims of 'overkilling' – that is, extreme attacks where the level of violence used is significantly in excess of what would be necessary to cause death. And finally, the cases of fathers being killed are more frequently linked to childhood abuse. How does the system deal with these cases? Both before and after the killing happens, there are serious questions about how the perpetrators are being treated. The case studies set out in Jessica Murray's reporting often describe sons with a history of violence, who may previously have been arrested for assault or coercive control before the killing finally happened. One particularly bleak example is that of Kelly Pitt, whose son Lewis Bush had been convicted of battery against her and his sister, and who repeatedly reported his aggressive behaviour at her house. In May 2023, Pitt called her daughter, and Bush could be heard in the background verbally abusing her; she was found dead two days later with 41 rib fractures. 'We hear a lot of stories about women who have been in contact with the state, whether it's through mental health services or social services or the police,' Alexandra said. 'But there seems to be a sense that mothers are the ones who are always there to pick up the pieces, rather than at risk themselves.' After the killing has happened, more than a fifth of the perpetrators are convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility or culpable homicide rather than murder. Sons convicted of killing their mothers are also more likely to be sent to a mental health facility than men who kill their partners or former partners. 'There is often a genuine mental health need,' Alexandra said. 'But there are questions about how frequently the defence is used, and how differently it is viewed in these cases.' Is enough being done to stop it? Labour's election manifesto included a commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. While the government's strategy is yet to be published – it is expected in the first half of this year – 'there is stuff happening already that is practically useful', Alexandra said. She pointed to a pilot programme embedding domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms as an example. And new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) announced in November are meant to provide enhanced powers for police and courts to monitor and sanction those told to stay away from their victims. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion These are only first steps. 'Yvette Cooper and Jess Phillips have both been talking about this stuff for a very long time,' Alexandra said. 'I don't doubt that they really want to do something about it. But this is something that takes a genuinely cross-government response, and every department is fighting for their own budget.' On the specific problems of sons killing mothers and violence against older women, there's a lot of catching up to do. 'It is still the case that young women being killed by strangers get the most media attention,' Alexandra said. 'But they are a vanishingly small cohort in a much larger group.' A mother being killed by her son may seem to some like a horrible tragedy from which little can be gleaned – but that attitude is exactly the reason that there is so much to do to stop it. In this week's edition of the Long Wave newsletter (sign up here!), Nesrine Malik caught up with Guardian Caribbean correspondent Natricia Duncan about Trinidad and Tobago's annual carnival, a celebration of the islands' African roots. Charlie Lindlar, acting deputy editor, newsletters Holmes Road, a homeless hostel with a zero tolerance policy on drugs, was supposed to be a sanctuary for Joe Black. But he died of an overdose at his kitchen table. Simon Hattenstone has the devastating story of Joe's death, and how it might have been prevented. Archie Chris Wiegand spent a night with the brave souls who camp out at theatre stage doors to grab an autograph, selfie or even just a glimpse of their favourite stars. Charlie One major debate over how Europe can best respond to the Trump administration's new attitude to the war in Ukraine is whether frozen Russian assets should be seized. The Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz argues that 'Russia should not be allowed to claim that the assets are legally protected at a time when it is … freely confiscating western assets within its own jurisdiction.' Archie Basketball fan or not, Rich Tenorio's wonderful history of the slam dunk is a charming read about how the move literally changed the game, and our popular culture. (He is, however, wrong about the best dunk ever: it's this one.) Charlie Football | Liverpool's Harvey Elliott stunned PSG with the match's only goal as the visitors weathered the storm to snatch a dramatic win in the Champions League. Two goals from Harry Kane and one from Jamal Musiala gave Bayern Munich a 3-0 first leg win against Bayer Leverkusen. Cricket | New Zealand comprehensively defeated South Africa by 50 runs to book a place in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. They will play India in Sunday's deciding showpiece in Dubai, in a repeat of the 2000 final. Football | England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are to join together in a bid to host the Women's World Cup in 2035. Keir Starmer said that a successful bid would mark a 'monumental moment in our nation's sporting history'. The Guardian splashes on 'US stops sharing intelligence with Kyiv to pile pressure on Zelenskyy' while the Telegraph says 'Trumps turns off Ukraine missiles' and the Times has 'More people will die after US cuts, says Ukraine MP'. The Financial Times leads with 'Berlin defence funding shift triggers huge bets on growth'. Top story in the i is 'Benefits cuts set to be bigger than Reeves promised, as Treasury rules out new tax hikes'. Front-page Ukraine coverage goes on hold today in the Daily Mail – 'New two-tier justice fiasco' – and in the Express there's 'Fulfil la promesse' demanding France act to stop migrant boats. 'Thank you' – there's a tribute from Prince William to NHS heroes of Covid on the front of the Mirror. '60 more victims of serial spiking rapist' says the Metro. Exposed: listening in on a $35m phone scam – podcast What can a major leak teach us about how call-centre fraudsters work? Simon Goodley reports A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad Bloodywood are a trailblazing nu-metal band from India who blend heavy metal with traditional Indian instruments. They skyrocketed to fame with viral YouTube covers and now captivate global audiences with their original songs which often address political and social issues. They bring positivity and unity through their energetic performances. According to co-vocalist Karan Katiyar: 'I don't think there's many things that are more metal than standing up for the people you love.' Their new album, Nu Delhi, focuses on uplifting stories and spreading joy, proving that metal can be both heart pumping and heartwarming. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
The Guardian
06-03-2025
- The Guardian
One in eight women killed by men are over 70, report reveals
One in eight women killed by men in the last 15 years were aged over 70, figures show, with a specialist charity reporting a growing number of older victims of domestic abuse seeking help. A landmark report, released ahead of International Women's Day by the Femicide Census, delves into the deaths of 2000 women killed by men. It shows that 262 women over the age of 70 have been killed since 2009. Among them were Margaret Biddolph, 78, and Anne Leyland, 88, who were killed by debt-ridden taxi driver Andrew Flood in Southport in 2012. In 2018 Craig Keogh, 26, raped and murdered a 72-year-old before burgling her home. They also include older women who were also subjected to extreme sexual violence. In 2024 the Guardian's Killed Women Count campaign reported on every woman allegedly killed by a man. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that 375,000 people aged over 60 in England and Wales reported domestic abuse between April 2022 to March 2023. But a lack of media focus and specialist services meant the abuse of older women was often hidden and unexplored, said Karen Ingala Smith, co-founder of the Femicide Census. 'The deaths of older women don't get enough attention,' she said. 'I think that the vulnerability of older women, either living on their own or in care homes, isn't properly recognised.' Research by Prof Hannah Bows at Durham University showed that between 2010 and 2015, one in four domestic homicides involved a victim over the age of 60, with women more likely to be victims and men perpetrators. 'This is particularly significant when you consider that people aged 60+ accounted for around 18% of our population at the time, but made up 25% of all domestic homicides,' she said. 'So the idea that older people are less at risk of being murdered isn't borne out by the data.' According to Age UK, nearly two-thirds (63%) of adult family homicide victims are aged 55 and over, with older people as likely to be subjected to abuse from an adult child or grandchild as they are from an intimate partner. 'It is both shocking and tragic,' said Caroline Abrahams, the charity's director. 'Older people are often overlooked in domestic abuse policies and services because their experiences don't always match stereotypical perceptions of domestic abuse.' Veronica Gray, deputy CEO at Hourglass, a charity working to prevent abuse of older people in the UK, said call demand had increased by 50% over the past two years. 'Whether that is due to increased awareness, or an increase in cases, it is probably impossible to tell,' she said. 'But I think it's likely that with an ageing population there is more widespread abuse.' Older women may also be less likely to disclose abuse, whether by a partner, child or grandchild, said Prof Sarah Lonbay, an expert in domestic abuse of older people at the University of Sunderland. Her research with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) revealed that the abuse of some older victims had started when it was still considered a 'family matter'. She said: 'When they become older they may be less likely to contact services or disclose their experiences because they feel like they might not be believed, might be dismissed, or they might feel that actually they're taking services away from younger women who need it more.' Femicide Census' report also showed that older women are more likely to be killed during a burglary than younger women, with 67% of women killed in the context of a burglary over the age of 60. These women were likely to be linked to 'vulnerability that comes with their age: they are more likely to live alone and to be physically less strong,' according to the report. Yet how women were killed during burglaries suggests that their deaths were not unintentional and were strongly linked to misogyny, said the report. In the killings of women over 60 by a stranger during a robbery, nearly half involved overkill, the use of excessive, gratuitous violence beyond that necessary to cause the victim's death. At least four of the killings included sexual violence. 'We have to ask why we see the use of sexual and sustained violence against elderly women who are unknown to the much younger men who kill them,' said Ingala Smith. 'The misogynistic intent in these killings is clear.'
