Horrendous murder of young woman

[NoLoveofMine]

Sorry for the topic of this thread, also it's an ongoing and recent incident so if it's not appropriate please report for removal. I also appreciate there's possibly not a lot anyone can say, I've just found it very upsetting and wanted to express that. A young woman was murdered on her way home from college on Friday most probably by two men completely unknown to her (not that it'd be anything but horrendous whatever): www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/18/teenager-dreamed-becoming-doctor-died-multiple-neck-wounds-brutal/

Whilst I also know coverage doesn't make it better I'm finding it also upsetting it's receiving comparatively very little news coverage (in part due to other incidents I suppose). Most of all though, I find it chilling and extremely saddening. Another life taken just like that, for no reason other than her sex, a misogynist hate crime yet never named as such.

[AssassinatedBeauty]

It is an awful thing, the poor young woman was just walking home from college as so many young people do every day. It's this sort of thing that makes it clear that there are many men who think that women and girls are there for them to use as they wish, up to and including murdering them. Hideous.

I hope the police are able to recover enough evidence to find and charge the person responsible for this.

[NoLoveofMine]

Very much so. It's horrendous and you articulated what I feel on it very well. That there are men who can have such contempt for women and girls, that they will target us purely for our sex, disregard everything about us, our hopes, ambitions, families, humour, everything, because none of that is relevant. I'm not sure I'm phrasing this very well, I know what I mean in my own mind but it may not be coming out well. Crimes like this are, to me, misogynist hate crimes. She was just walking home from college one afternoon and had her life taken when targeted due to her sex. It's horrific.

[Collidascope]

I live just a few miles from where this happened and yes, it's a shocking crimes that would have got more attention, I suspect, if the news wasn't so full on crazy at the moment. Random attacks do seem to get more attention because it's harder for journalists to start thinking that the victim somehow brought this on herself... It's one of those crimes where I just can't bring myself to think what was going on in the heads of the men who did it. There are some crimes -shoplifting, fraud, burglary -I wouldn't do myself but I can understand the rewards and the temptation. Even punching someone who is annoying -I wouldn't do it but I understand it. Brutally murdering a young woman I don't know is beyond comprehension for me though.

[NoLoveofMine]

It should definitely be getting more attention regardless but even if it did, I don't think it'd be names for what it is (as similar incidents I know of previously never are) - a misogynist murder, a violent hate crime against women and girls. I think going on in the heads of the men who did it and other similar is violent misogyny, a complete contempt for women and girls, a desire to use women and girls for whatever purpose they wish and exert this power over them. Cause fear, distress, panic, cast aside all about them. So enraging and upsetting.

I hope people are alright in the circumstances near there, Collidascope.

[DJBaggySmalls]

Thats horrific, I cant imagine what her family are going through. The police do seem to be taking it seriously, and are prepared to link the previous incidents with this one.

There is an increasing number of men using choking and throat injuries as a threat against women online. It also seems to be an active part of BDSM and porn. I wouldn't be surprised if violent porn was found to be used by the perpetrator.

[MiddleEnglandLives]

I have been thinking a few times since this recent string of terrorist incidents that more girls and women are raped and killed by men in Britain every year, but the sexist version of hate crimes never get anything like as much attention. I barely dare to say it even here in case someone complains at me for being disrespectful to the victims of terrorism. But it's a danger that women and girls have to live with every day, and too often get told that we're 'hysterical' for worrying about, because namalt.

[NoLoveofMine]

DJBaggySmalls that's very true. It's so upsetting - I really hope this sounds like I'm trying to appropriate grief just when these incidents happen I find it very difficult to switch off from them. She had so many hopes, so much to achieve and none of that mattered to the misogynist perpetrator/s. I've been reading of how loved she was by so many, so kind and was caring for her mother as well as studying.

MiddleEnglandLives I've often thought exactly the same thing. Women and girls are viciously attacked with alarming regularity (as many here will know full well even most rapes barely make any news) yet such attacks aren't even considered hate crimes nor is there much awareness generally of how much they occur. As you say, we live with this constant risk. Misogynist violence, targeted purely for being female.

[NoLoveofMine]

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/innocent-people-loved-monsters-too-10656564

[DJBaggySmalls]

I've been reading of how loved she was by so many, so kind and was caring for her mother as well as studying.

Thats what the killers lack, the ability to see their victims as people with any value. Its important we talk about them. Otherwise they disappear without trace, as if they had no worth.

[NoLoveofMine]

Very much so. With these cases (I hope it doesn't seem inappropriate to refer to them as "cases", I don't mean it to at all) I always try to find out about the woman/girl because I also hate how they're defined as someone's victim. They're so much more than that and had so much to offer and give. They had hopes, ambitions, talents, love to share, gave so much to so many. She was so loved, had huge talent in sciences, loved learning and animals, was such huge support to everyone who knew her. It's clear how kind and loving she was.

It enrages me that those who perpetrate these crimes see their victims as nothing because of their sex; none of any of this matters to them such is their violent misogyny.

[SweetGrapes]

There was a running thread on here (before we got drowned in kool-aid) about the women who had been murdered by men.
I can't find it - if someone can, please link to it.
It seems more important than ever, now that we are slowly loosing even the right to define ourselves as women, we don't forget these women who were murdered purely for being women.

[SquirmOfEels]

Gun crime in London is up 54% and knife crime 24%.

Those are barely being reported either. Even the fatal shooting of a (female, teenage) bystander in Kilburn.

I don't believe for a second that the press are lackeys of the government, so I have no idea why crime is so little reported.

[NoLoveofMine]

SweetGrapes that thread needs to be resurrected as I've often read of horrific cases and wanted to mark those women and girls, I hate seeing them forgotten or ignored.

SquirmOfEels the Evening Standard reports on gun and knife crime regularly, plenty of front pages and special reports in the last two months alone. The BBC have also done features on it. That's also completely different to girls and women being attacked purely for being female. No other reason. Yet it's not even considered a hate crime. These are girls and women targeted and attacked, raped, murdered simply for being female.

[NoLoveofMine]

I think this article puts it very well and says what I was attempting to far better: www.independent.co.uk/voices/extremism-misogyny-need-to-tackle-it-a7800411.html

[Saucery]

It's been reported locally but not very much nationally. Very little info given and the note left by police saying they are so sorry they didn't get there in time isn't usual.

[NoLoveofMine]

I know of a case where the police also left a note with flowers and tributes are still regularly left to this day at two poignant locations - not only on anniversaries.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

My DD goes to that college so it's very close to home for us. I can't begin to imagine what that poor family are going through. They are all in the middle of A levels now. Such a massive waste of a young life with so much potential.

[NoLoveofMine]

I hope your daughter is as alright as she can be in the circumstances. These awful incidents are bad enough anyway but it is particularly upsetting and chilling with they're so close to home.

It is horrific and the family will of course never stop going through it. So much hurt, pain and sadness caused and another life taken by misogyny.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

Thing is, i have DD1 away at uni, living in a very rough part of a big city, drinking and clubbing and getting up to all sorts. And I worry about her a lot and talk to her about keeping safe.

But DD2 is at a this naice, selective, gently geeky college in a naice bit of town and I have never worried at all.

But we are not safe anywhere are we? However we live our lives or modify our behaviour. Has a 50 year old woman ever attacked and murdered a random 18 year old young man? I imagine it is vanishingly rare.

[NoLoveofMine]

TinkyLittleLaugh your final line is exactly what I was thinking earlier this afternoon. Or any woman or girl attacking a boy or man completely at random for some abhorrent sexual thrill. Yet it happens so often to women and girls and many/most of us are permanently aware of the risks.

It can and does happen anywhere. The horrific incident which first opened my eyes to this kind of thing was in a lovely, tranquil area in a very "desirable" West London borough in the middle of a summer afternoon. The hatred of women and girls which leads these attackers to assault and murder for a sexual thrill, that the lives of women and girls matter so little, is abhorrent and chilling.

[Collidascope]

From the articles, she seemed like an ace young woman. It's completely tragic that her life is gone and her family's lives ruined so the piece of shit who killed her could have his few minutes of fun.
I feel like if the authorities approached violence against women in the same way they do terrorism -using intelligence to assess risk- maybe we'd get somewhere. Maybe not though.

[NoLoveofMine]

It is horrible Collidascope. That's what her life meant, all the promise, love and kindness, taken away.

I think we could do. It would be possible to devote more resources to it, monitor people, for example someone who may have sexually assaulted someone in the past, or even stalking, street harassment, revenge porn posting etc. The scale of misogyny is so great and I think these crimes need to be seen as misogynist hate crime, yet misogyny, as the article I pasted above stated, is barely if ever mentioned in reporting of them.

[OneFlewOverTheDodosNest]

It's horrifying and yet there seems to be absolutely no desire to treat this as a pattern at all.

The absurd thing, given the increasing vigilance around terrorism, is that misogyny and domestic violence are connecting factors in all the recent terror attackers so surely we should be looking at this as a way of measuring overall violence as well as violence towards women.

[Saucery]

I will be very surprised if the alleged murderer has no previous history of violence or harassment of women.

[Collidascope]

www.huffingtonpost.com/bina-shah/gender-based-violence_b_8642918.html

I found this quite an interesting view on the different approaches to terrorism and violence against women.