Bereaved families gather to listen to names of women killed in past year

A mother whose daughter was murdered by her ex-boyfriend has said she and her fellow bereaved will not stop demanding action from the Government to save women’s lives.

Julie Devey joined other people who have lost women in their lives to violence by men in parliament earlier, where MPs once again listened as the names were read out of the women killed in the UK in the past year, where a man has been convicted or charged as the primary perpetrator.

Since being elected in 2015, Labour MP Jess Phillips has carried out the task of reading the names aloud during the annual International Women’s Day debate.

Ahead of this year’s reading, Ms Devey – who has co-founded the campaigning organisation Killed Women – said she feels power in joining together with other affected families, but questioned what she sees as a lack of action to stop the problem.

Her daughter Poppy Devey Waterhouse was brutally murdered by her ex-partner after he failed to come to terms the end of their three-year relationship.

Joe Atkinson was jailed in 2019 for life with a minimum of 15 years and 310 days as the court heard how the maths graduate was “fuelled by jealousy” when he carried out the killing of his “prodigiously gifted” former girlfriend.

Ms Devey said her world “came to a halt” when she got news of her daughter’s death, and feels “nothing has changed” since her name was read out in Parliament in 2019.

She said:

“We gather here now listening to this year’s needless death toll and ask where is the action, where is the urgency, where is the justice?

“Standing together with other families who have endured similar tragedies, and the solidarity and strength that comes from our connection, feels very powerful.

Karen Ingala Smith, who compiles the list of names each year as part of the Counting Dead Women project, said:

“These killings should not be accepted as inevitable; they are a symptom of the lack of strategic priority afforded to ending men’s violence against women.

“As the names of the women lost this year are read out in Parliament, we honour their lives, stand with the families and friends left behind, and urge action from those with power to make a difference.”

The government launched the Tackling violence against women and girls strategy in 2021, with over 50 new commitments made

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