Media reporting the murder of women

[PaleGreenGhost]

Wouldn't it be great if we could get a national newspaper to agree to report every single murder of a woman, on a prominent page, daily. With a dedicated reporter liaising with police forces and trained in writing non victim-blaming reports that don't obscure the perpetrator. Just as a time defined trial.

I mean obviously it wouldn't be great it would be devastating.

I know the femicide census exists but having every crime reported at the time, reported as if they are of national urgency and seen by people not necessarily looking for that information, might help make the sheer scale of the crime visible.

Why only women? Over 70% of murder victims are men. So we just what, ignore them?

@PlanDeRaccordement

Why only women? Over 70% of murder victims are men. So we just what, ignore them?

Most women are killed by men....the topic is Feminism...clue there.

Yes most women are killed by men, but so what? Why is a victim of one sex to be portrayed as a “matter of national urgency” while a victim of the other sex is to be ignored?

Surely, if the objective is to make male violence a “matter of national urgency” it would be more sobering and accurate to portray all the victims and not less than half of them?

I'm talking about a time limited trial column on the murder of women that is almost entirely at the hands of men.

I'm not talking about, eg how to budget police resources fairly. Other column inches are available for other issues.

The two crimes are different, with criminals following different patterns of behaviour and with very different safeguarding implications. I think awareness raising is better done separately.

I happen to think knife crime and mugging amongst young males is also woefully under reported but that's not what I'm talking about.

Surely, if the objective is to make male violence a “matter of national urgency” it would be more sobering and accurate to portray all the victims and not less than half of them?

I take your point here. But I fear the particular risks to women would get buried with this approach, at a time when women's rights are already precarious.

I saw an interesting comment this morning about how many women post on social media whenever they see the report of a woman's death. For the deaths of women, there's usually some sense of a narrative about how it might have been averted: better support services; paying attention to recruitment or the previous history of offences (in the case of Sarah Everard).

If men wrote social media posts about men, they'd be posting several times a week. I've no idea what their narrative would be. For the 'single punch' campaigns - would it be an acknowledgement that drunken brawls are dangerous and unpredictable?

The knife is the most common form of death for both men and women and it may well be that some form of intoxicant is involved for a number of those.

In 2019/20, the most common method of killing (40%) involved the use of a sharp instrument. This was the most common method of killing for both male and female victims at 44% and 27% respectively.

Strangulation and asphyxiation was the next most prevalent method of death for females (31 out of 188 victims). The second most common method for men involved hitting, kicking, etc (95 out of 506 victims). As a proportion of all homicides, hitting, kicking, etc was also the second most common for all victims accounting for 17% of deaths (115 deaths).

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8224/

I think awareness raising is better done separately.

I disagree. It has ever been the case that issues seen as only women’s issues are long ignored and neglected. It is only when you point out that male violence is an everyone issue that the predominately male establishment takes notice and does something about it.

There are some recommended guidelines for press reporting. Level Up’s guidance on how outlets should report on domestic violence deaths consist of six main points:

Accountability. Place responsibility on the killer. This means avoiding speculative “reasons” or “triggers”, or describing the murder as an uncharacteristic event. Fatal domestic abuse is usually underpinned by a longstanding sense of ownership, coercive control and possessive behaviours: they are not a random event.

Accuracy. Name the crime as domestic violence. Rather than describing the death as a “tragedy” or “horror”, frame it within the context of a pattern of controlling behaviour, coercive control and/or previous assaults. Include a reference to helplines at the end of the article, so readers know where to seek help.

Images. Centre the image of the deceased woman, but include a picture of the perpetrator at the bottom. If she is a Muslim woman, use the image that has been provided by the family and police alone.

Dignity. Avoid sensationalising language, invasive or graphic details that compromise the dignity of the dead woman or her surviving family members. In cases of BME women, focus on the perpetrator’s gender-based abuse and control as the root cause of homicide. When religion or culture is used as a reason, it detracts from the sexist values the killer holds that underpin their violent actions.

Equality. Avoid insensitive or trivialising language or images. All women have a right to dignity and respect, especially in death, regardless of their race, sexuality, occupation, class and whether they live with mental or physical disabilities. Remember a victim’s children are likely to read reports on their mother’s death.

Sensitivity to cultures and religion. When reporting on a woman’s death, there is no need to discuss religious or cultural values, or her religious or cultural background unless imperative to a case. Be careful not to perpetuate stereotypes or make assumptions, particularly around ‘honour killing’ or domestic homicide.

www.stylist.co.uk/life/level-up-campaign-change-reporting-domestic-homicides-violence-deaths-media-guidelines-women-killed-by-partners-2/230587

Level Up's own site (which lists 5): www.welevelup.org/media-guidelines

I get your point completely but I think it would just result in women and girls lives becoming more restricted, more worried and fears about going out etc, staying home to be safe ( when a lot of female murders are in the home) when it should be the opposite, women should feel unrestricted, not impose self inflicted curfews about going out after dark.
It’s difficult.
And I get the other posters point that men are more likely to be murder victims but rarely of sexual assault too and rarely domestic murders, partner murders and rarely ( never?) by female strangers. The circumstances are not the same.

"Doing something" about male violence against men would look completely different to "doing something" about male violence against women. They need separate awareness raising because they are largely separate problems.

And because the patterns of male violence against women are predictable, interventions that would have an impact at scale are possible - tracking offenders including minor offenders who are likely to escalate, training police officers better and sacking the misogynists among them, awareness raising among young women so they don't need to learn the red flags of an abuser experience changes in shared custody presumptions so that women aren't put at the mercy of violent abusers who have control over them via their children, looking out for signs of grooming among at-risk children, funding women's refuges properly, a clampdown on porn in schools and proper recording of sexual abuse in schools, more single-sex schools available, restigmatising porn use... people would be more motivated to make all this happen if violence against women was discussed properly. Almost none of it would have any impact on male violence against men. Different problems.

I get your point completely but I think it would just result in women and girls lives becoming more restricted, more worried and fears about going out etc, staying home to be safe ( when a lot of female murders are in the home)

Agreed. It would further isolate some women and possibly be an additional tool in the relationship if it's built on coercive control. ( I'm only looking out for you. It's a dangerous world out there. )

Crimewatch was said to have increased fear of crime among its viewers:

Justifiably afraid?

Crimewatch has, however, periodically attracted critical attention, usually in the form of accusations of sensationalism and concern about its alleged contribution to the creation of fear of crime…The findings of a study commissioned by the Broadcasting Standards Council suggest that over half the women studied felt that some media, especially television and the tabloid press, increased their fear of crime and that over three-quarters thought crime-reporting might increase women's fear of being attacked. Crimewatch was said by over half of the respondents to 'increase' their fear of crime, with one third saying that it made them 'feel afraid'. The attempt by the presenter to reassure at the end of the broadcast by stressing that the crimes shown are unusual and urging viewers not to have nightmares was sometimes viewed with derision and dismissiveness…

However the study did acknowledge that the programme was held to cause fear among female viewers, especially those living or viewing alone (BBC Broadcasting Research 1988:18). The more recent study mentioned above…further discovered that the idea that such programmes may generally mobilize audiences against crime and criminals was challenged by the ways in which respondents carefully distinguished between crimes against property and crimes against the person. The women identified strongly with the dangers of personal physical attack…

www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/sites/crimeandjustice.org.uk/files/09627259308553307.pdf

@allmywhat

"Doing something" about male violence against men would look completely different to "doing something" about male violence against women. They need separate awareness raising because they are largely separate problems.

And because the patterns of male violence against women are predictable, interventions that would have an impact at scale are possible - tracking offenders including minor offenders who are likely to escalate, training police officers better and sacking the misogynists among them, awareness raising among young women so they don't need to learn the red flags of an abuser experience changes in shared custody presumptions so that women aren't put at the mercy of violent abusers who have control over them via their children, looking out for signs of grooming among at-risk children, funding women's refuges properly, a clampdown on porn in schools and proper recording of sexual abuse in schools, more single-sex schools available, restigmatising porn use... people would be more motivated to make all this happen if violence against women was discussed properly. Almost none of it would have any impact on male violence against men. Different problems.

I gave up the attempt to quote bits of it - this is such a fine and comprehensive summary.

Doing something" about male violence against men would look completely different to "doing something" about male violence against women. They need separate awareness raising because they are largely separate problems.

I don’t agree they are separate problems. The method of murder even matches up according to what a pp posted. Most common cause of death, no matter the sex of the victim is being stabbed. Etc

We are long past “awareness raising” and the victim blaming approach of “teaching women to recognise red flags”.

I think everyone is aware that murder rates have declined and then plateaued. We are going to have to find a way to prevent murder and to do that, we have to take a serious look at the root causes of why men kill and address them. I don’t know why men kill. I know more about the profile of what increases you risk to become a murder victim than I know about the profile of what increases the risk a man will murder. That’s a problem.

@MultiStorey
It’s really surprising that you would seek to Centre men in your feminism. Why do you think that is?

I’m not centring men. I don’t know how you can say that.

It really sounds like you see male on female violence as of lower importance than male violence on other men.

Not the case, I think it is of equal importance, which goes against many on here who think violence against women is more important than violence against men. The point is that the problem is not violence against women, the problem is male violence.

Why is there no social punishment from men on other men who are violent?

I am baffled by this. Assault and murder laws apply and social ostracism happens no matter the sex of the victim.

I know more about the profile of what increases you risk to become a murder victim than I know about the profile of what increases the risk a man will murder. That’s a problem.

It's a problem you could address by reading this board more. There is quite a lot of information out there on what kind of man murders women and what makes him a risk. You could try "Why Does He Do That?" It's referenced here fairly often. Julie Bindel writes a lot about this topic too; again, I've learned about her work mostly from this board.

These sources won't tell you anything about the risk factors for men murdering other men though - as many people have already said, male violence against men is a different problem which needs to be addressed separately.

I don’t agree they are separate problems. The method of murder even matches up according to what a pp posted. Most common cause of death, no matter the sex of the victim is being stabbed. Etc

This loses the nuance of the circumstances leading up to the death or, say, a knife crime. The ONS has some additional material that is relevant, especially when considering the number of deaths that involve alcohol or drugs (applies both to victim and suspect).

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/homicideinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2020#drug-and-alcohol-related-homicides

In cases of BME women, focus on the perpetrator’s gender-based abuse and control as the root cause of homicide. When religion or culture is used as a reason, it detracts from the sexist values the killer holds that underpin their violent actions.

Not sure I agree with this. Not every murder of a BME/different religion/sexuality/nationality woman will be because of her sex. You can’t state that the root cause of the homicide was her sex or require it be reported that way without investigating it properly. To assume it is always sex based would whitewash murders done due to race, religion, sexuality, nationality, etc

I gave up the attempt to quote bits of it - this is such a fine and comprehensive summary.

Thank you. I was just listing off ideas from the top of my head as fast as I could type, and now it's made me sad because some of it is so easy and none of it is happening.

I bet it would only take a few women from this board a few hours in a room together to make a national action plan for tackling VAWG, and they'd come up with something practical and feasible that would have a huge impact if implemented. It's not that there is nothing that can be done, it's that the public and the polity don't care enough to make it happen.

@PlanDeRaccordement

In cases of BME women, focus on the perpetrator’s gender-based abuse and control as the root cause of homicide. When religion or culture is used as a reason, it detracts from the sexist values the killer holds that underpin their violent actions.

Not sure I agree with this. Not every murder of a BME/different religion/sexuality/nationality woman will be because of her sex. You can’t state that the root cause of the homicide was her sex or require it be reported that way without investigating it properly. To assume it is always sex based would whitewash murders done due to race, religion, sexuality, nationality, etc

Perhaps you might address your critique to the organisation involved although it would help if it were more than objection and recognised that the guidelines are about the reporting of deaths relating to domestic violence : Level Up’s guidance on how outlets should report on domestic violence deaths consist of six main points:

As for this:

I am baffled by this. Assault and murder laws apply and social ostracism happens no matter the sex of the victim.

I will not affect to be surprised that you should claim this. However, as above, women comment on the death of women and children on social media. I'd be pleased if I learned that men's WhatsApp groups or various fora had threads commenting about the death of men and putting forward policy proposals or reflecting on their own behaviour and banter they tolerate from themselves and others.

You are not unaware of the men who've been released from prison (sometimes despite protests from women, Worboys was a rare reversal) and gone on to harm or kill another woman?

@PlanDeRaccordement

I think awareness raising is better done separately.

I disagree. It has ever been the case that issues seen as only women’s issues are long ignored and neglected. It is only when you point out that male violence is an everyone issue that the predominately male establishment takes notice and does something about it.

I disagree, I think men and women react very badly to men killing women. Its seen and an unfair fight.

The media is fill of films and dramas where women are shown as 'asking for it' but despite years of propaganda there is still the viceral feeling of unfairness in the general public.

@EmbarrassingAdmissions
reporting of deaths relating to domestic violence
My critique still stands. Men killing their wives because they’ve come out as lesbian. Fathers killing daughters because they’ve decided to no longer be a member of the religion or have a boyfriend of a different race or nationality. Come to mind.

I just think we would make more progress at eliminating murder if we worked together against male violence instead of dividing ourselves into two camps based on the sex of the victims.

We don’t differentiate by sex of victim when it comes to reporting, valuing or trying to stop child abuse even though the patterns of abuse are different between boys and girls.

But its the fact that their women is the deciding factor. A man would not mind if his son was lax in his religious observance or had a girlfriend but would kill his daughter.

@allmywhat
Thank you for guidance. I did enjoy Julie Bindels book on the sex work myth. I was not aware she had also written about men killers.