Sector Collective Statement against Racist Violence and Misogyny

8th August 2024 

We, the undersigned, are writing to express our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the girls who were murdered in Southport. While still exceptional in terms of mass incidents of this kind, violence towards girls and women by men on a daily basis is not. The tragedy that unfolded in Southport is on the worst end of this spectrum.   

We should be able to feel deep sadness and anger and discuss deep-rooted misogyny without our concerns being hijacked by those with a deeply racist agenda to incite violence.  

We want to express our solidarity with women and girls and their families who are now facing a heightened lack of safety and fear from the racist violence erupting across the country. We know that those organising and engaging in this violence are in the minority, but the threat of their hatred and violence will have much wider repercussions. We will not remain silent in the face of this. 

The 'hostile environment' policy-making and the rhetoric of too many politicians and others with public platforms have laid fertile ground for the normalisation of racism and sexism. 

Black and minoritised women suffer disproportionately from the actions of both government and organised acts of racist violence. 

Again and again, the voices and experiences of women and girls are quickly sidelined and men become the focus. So, we call upon the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister to hold an urgent roundtable with women from across the UK, with Black and minoritised women’s community organisations in particular - rather than (usually male) ‘community leaders’ - to help address this situation. 

We refute claims that any of these actions are a result of caring about the safety of women and girls.  

Women and girls’ safety is not achieved nor promoted by racist violence. Together, we denounce it.  

We stand together in our resistance and solidarity; 

We stand together as women across all our communities.  

We stand together and say, ‘not in our name.’  

Signed by all our sisters at the following organisations across the country: 

Account 3, Accountable Practice, Advance, Amour Destine, Angelou Centre, Apna Ghar Minority Ethnic Women's Centre (South Tyneside), Asian Community Concern, Aspire Learning Support and Wellbeing, Aurora New Dawn, Be Kind. No Excuses CIC, Beyond the Page (Thanet), Bloody Good Period, Bristol Women’s Voice, Calan Domestic Violence Services, Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre, Cambridge Women’s Aid, Cardiff Women's Aid, Child and Women Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU), Chinese Community in Peterborough, Chinese Women in Peterborough, Clear Path UK and NIAD, Close the Gap, Community Champions Alliance, Coventry Haven WA, CREST, Crisis Skylight Newcastle, Deaf Ethnic Women’s Association, EVAW (End Violence Against Women Coalition), End VAWG Consultancy, Family Court Crisis, Femicide Census, FiLiA, FORWARD, Juno Women’s Aid, Kent Labour Group, Latin American Women's Aid, Flashy Wings Ministry, Hampton Tiddlers, Harriet Yudkin Training, Hibiscus, Inspiring Women Network, Latin American Women’s Rights Service, Montgomery Family Crisis Centre, nia, Not Buying It, Nottingham Muslim Women’s Network, Nottingham Women for Change, One Million Women and Girls campaign, Open Clasp Theatre Company (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Peterborough Mums UK, Power of Women (Thanet), Pregnant Then Screwed, Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC), Rape Crisis England & Wales, Rape Crisis Scotland, Reframing Race, Reggaeoke, Represent Women, Respect, RIBA, Rights of Women, RISE, Riverside Community Health Project, Sangini, SATEDA, Scottish Women’s Autism Network, Scottish Women’s Rights Centre, SERICC Rape and Sexual Abuse specialist service, Safety4Sisters, Severn Angels Housing & Support, Sheffield Women’s Aid, SignHealth, Southall Black Sisters, South East and East Asian Women’s Association, Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse, Support After Rape and Sexual Violence Leeds (SARSVL), Surviving Economic Abuse, Swansea Women's Aid, Teakisi, The Big Red Kick, The Digital Language Hub (Hampshire), The Federation of Gay Games, The Millin Charity, The Nest Southwest CIC, This Ends Now, thrivin’ together CIC, Tina’s Haven, Tyneside Women’s Health, Voluntary Organisations Network North East, Welsh Women’s Aid, West End Women and Girls Centre, WISH, Woman’s Place UK & Sisters Salon Brighton, Women Acting in Today’s Society (WAITS), Women for Refugee Women, Women of Grace UK, Women’s Street Watch (Middlesbrough), Women’s Street Watch (Newcastle), Women's Aid Federation of England, Women’s Aid in Luton, Women’s Community Circle, Women’s Health in South Tyneside, Ubele Initiative, UK Women’s Budget Group, White Ribbon UK, Women’s Holiday Centre Co-operative, Women’s Resource Centre, Workie Ticket Theatre, WWiN (Sunderland), You Make It You My Sister, Young Women’s Film Academy, Young Women’s Outreach Project, Young Women’s Trust, Youth Realities. 

 As well as the 18 individual signatories made up of academics, activists, writers and allies. 

Photo by Melany Rochester on Unsplash