Why Sarah Everard’s Murder Is Sparking Conversations about What Fuels Violence against Women
A woman’s recent murder has sparked public outrage about violence against women and women’s safety.
33-year-old Sarah Everard was walking home from a friend’s house in London on the evening of March 3rd when she went missing. She was last seen on a park’s security camera footage. She was wearing a colorful, visible outfit consisting of a beanie, bright green slicker, blue pants with a pattern, headphones, and a face mask.
The next day, Everard’s boyfriend told the police she had gone missing. After an intense search, her body was found, and her murder was confirmed nine days later. The U.K. was in shock. A police officer, Wayne Couzens, has been arrested and accused of Everard’s kidnapping and murder.
Reclaim These Streets, an organization based in London, planned a public vigil to honor Everard and all the other victims of gender-based violence and police brutality. However, that event was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Despite the cancelation, about 1,000 protesters still gathered, with many being removed by law enforcement. In one viral image, a woman was seen being restrained by a police officer. Ironically, she was wearing a T-shirt with the saying, “ABUSE OF POWER COMES AS NO SURPRISE.”
Everard’s death fuels a global movement
Everard’s murder struck a chord with many women who have shared their experiences of harassment and abuse by men using #TextMeWhenYouGetHome. “Women have constantly been told how to keep safe, but actually the onus should be on men,” said Human Rights Watch researcher Rothna Begum, adding, “It is men who are killing women.”
Her murder was shocking, especially for this reason: Everard did everything she could have done to stay safe. She stayed on a public route, stayed in a lit area, and wore bright clothing. Despite these measures, people have resorted to victim-blaming questions, like, “Why was she walking alone at night?” This is what many women deal with when they have been harmed, but is this ever justified? Why should Everard be at fault for her own murder moreso than her murderer?
It’s no secret that sexual harassment toward women is rampant. In a recent poll, 80% of U.K. women reported having been sexually harassed. In another poll, 77% of white women felt safe when walking alone at night, but this number was lower for minorities. Only 67% of Hispanic women felt safe, 63% of Asian women, and 51% of Black women.
Everard’s murder has also sparked conversations about how we need a cultural overhaul with men committing to stop perpetrating violence against women. This culture has become normalized, but why?
Porn and gender-based violence
Research has illustrated how porn can play a role in gender-based violence. The industry normalizes the abuse of women for entertainment and profit. While not every porn viewer will be violent toward women, studies have shown how porn can significantly impact people and their relationships in negative ways.
The classic saying is “sex sells.” But consider that, nowadays, it’s more like “sexual violence sells.” One largely overlooked industry that cashes in on the violent abuse of women is porn.
In one study that analyzed 304 popular porn films, a whopping 88% of them contained physical violence, while nearly half included verbal aggression. In those films, the victims were primarily women who seemed to enjoy the abuse. Another large-scale study from 2020 analyzed 7,430 pornographic videos from Pornhub and Xvideos, and it concluded that physical aggression was present in 44.3% of Pornhub and 33.9% of Xvideos scenes.
If we’re going to address all the ways in our culture that violence against women is normalized, we need to acknowledge how porn plays a role.
Calling for real, lasting change
How can we use Everard’s murder to make a difference? It requires a cultural change and recognizing every element of violence against women. Don’t confuse what we’re saying, here — while the porn industry has helped to desensitize our culture to violence, there’s no evidence that Everard’s murder is connected to porn. However, we need to acknowledge the harmful effects of porn and make a change. How can content that trivializes, eroticizes, and normalizes violence against women continue to be so accepted in our society?
