40 years from Suzy Lamplugh, more needs to be done to keep women safe
A Kent charity say more still needs to be done to address stalking
Suzy Lamplugh went missing in 1986, and since then the Suzy Lamplugh Trust has worked tirelessly to tackle harassment, as well as launching the national stalking helpline in 2010.
Interim CEO of the trust Emma Lingley Clark has told us she's proud how Suzy's disappearance has lead to positive change, but that there is still a need for critical work to make a safer, inclusive society.
In Kent, we've been speaking to local domestic abuse charity Oasis, who work across across East Kent, North Kent, and Medway.
On Suzy's legacy, Children's Young Person Service Manager Danielle Georgiou said:
"Since Suzy disappeared in 1986, there has been progress in legislation and awareness and support for victims.
"We do now have specific stalking offences. We have stronger domestic abuse legislation. There is greater recognition within professionals of coercive control and far more specialist services that now that weren't available 40 years ago.
"I think public understanding has also been improved. Behaviours that may once have been dismissed as persistence or unwanted attention are now more widely recognised as stalking harassment and coercive control.
"However, progress on paper doesn't always translate into safety in the real world. Too many victims still face barriers to support. Too many are not being believed quickly enough and too many women and girls continue to alter their daily lives because of concerns about their safety
"We know that the scale of stalking, harassment and abuse shows that while we have moved forward, there is still a significant way to go with male violence against women and girls being declared as a national emergency."
On how these issues could be addressed going forward she added:
"It has to be that community and societal impact, that ripple effect.
"It impacts everybody.
"Yes, the issue is violence against women and girls, but obviously that impacts into families. It impacts into male survivors in the way that they're perceived as well.
"So it's really, really important that education is not just solely focused on young people. It's also about raising that awareness consistently throughout our communities as well."
On how the issue itself has changed since 1986 Georgiou added that social media and technology had since made the problem more all-encompassing, normalising unhealthy behaviours and the sharing of personal information such as live locations.
Repeated messages or tracking can constitute a broader pattern of stalking and coercive control, and should be taken seriously if it makes you feel unsafe.
Summarising she said:
"Suzy's legacy must be more than remembrance. It should be now a call to action.
"Safety must remain our priority through prevention and education and earlier intervention and a stronger response to perpetrators before that behaviour escalates.
"We must recognise stalking as a serious pattern of harmful behaviour, and whether that happens in person or online, and ensure that victims are heard, believed and protected.
"Every person deserves to live safely and free from fear. We just have to continue working towards a society where perpetrators are held accountable and violence against women and girls is no longer tolerated."
If you or a loved one feel unsafe, please look for support.