Ashling Murphy’s death is another reminder that women don’t live in safety

On Wednesday, Ashling Murphy, a 23-year-old primary school teacher, was attacked and murdered in County Offaly, Ireland, while out for an afternoon run.

On Saturday, thousands of people came together across Ireland and the UK in memory of Murphy, another woman whose life has been violently cut short. At 4pm in Camden Square, north London, hundreds gathered to lay flowers, sign a book of condolences and observe a minute’s silence, far exceeding the numbers expected by the vigil’s organisers.

Ashling Murphy’s death comes just three months after the sentencing of Wayne Couzens, who was a serving Metropolitan Police officer when he kidnapped, raped and murdered 33-year-old marketing executive Sarah Everard on her way home. He received a whole-life term.

As women, we live in the shadow of male violence. We walk home with our keys between our fingers, clutching small cans of hairspray. We choose our routes depending on how brightly lit and busy certain areas are. We stay on the phone while walking, letting the person on the other end know how far we still have to go.

We take all sorts of precautions, lest we become another violent statistic, or we take the blame for someone else’s desire to hurt us because we weren’t “being careful enough”.

I’m angry, but sometimes the anger gives way to a feeling of exhaustion because I’m so intensely tired of this. I’m tired of feeling frightened when it’s dark and I’m coming home. I’m tired of the victim-blaming garbage that inevitably gets bandied about, as though we are in any way responsible for someone else’s violent and criminal actions. And I’m tired of feeling like nothing ever changes, and the global epidemic of male violence, perpetrated against women and girls in all countries around the world, simply goes on unchecked.

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In the UK, one woman is killed by a man every three days. We should be able to live in safety, but the stats show that we do not. Violence against women is sickening and terrifying and we should never, ever become inured to it.

My deepest sympathies are with the loved ones of Ashling Murphy, as they find their lives altered by this devastating loss.

Yours,

Harriet Williamson

Voices commissioning editor