Femicide is not just a statistic

A takeover edition of Si’s Matters by Claire Farrelly , senior marketing expert at TBD Marketing Ltd

Femicide is not just a statistic – it’s a relentless and alarming manifestation of violence against women and girls. Women are being targeted and killed simply because of their gender, a reality that reflects deep-rooted societal issues we cannot continue to ignore. The exhausting aspect of this is that the violence against women and girls (VAWG) is so ordinary, so everyday, so normalised that it is being ignored and therefore either seen as a non-issue by men or dismissed as ‘this has nothing to do with me’.

Well, the truth is this: it cannot be ignored, as it’s a significant part of the everyday sexism that women face in the legal sector, where more men than women hold positions of power and influence despite being in the minority, and where we still have a significant gender pay gap to close.

Let’s not forget the partner at Linklaters who was found to have behaved inappropriately towards a female associate whilst on a business trip, and the sanction applied was nothing more than a slap on the wrist. We have a problem, and it's bigger than you might think.??

The safety of women and the violence we endure is a subject that takes up a lot of space in my mind, and one I cannot stop thinking about. I’ve followed the utterly horrific case of Gisèle Pelicot since I first saw reports of it earlier this year, and I’ve struggled to fully comprehend how something like this could happen in 2024.?

How could so many men willingly participate in the rape of an unconscious (and therefore unable to consent) woman? How could a husband justify the whole ordeal – from conceptualising the abuse to allowing strangers (one of whom, let’s not forget, has HIV) to violate his wife – and then somehow blame her for ruining his life? (This was the main story on the case that ran on Monday in all major press outlets). It’s beyond concerning that over 50 rapists lived a short distance from the family home in rural France.?

It’s been compounded by multiple news reports, from the murder of Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei , to the death of three young girls in the Southport terror attack , the horrific case of the Swiss woman who was murdered and dismembered by her husband, and the numerous women who courageously share their stories on the brilliant Instagram account @CheerUpLove. If you actively follow femicide in the press as I do, you will know that almost every week there’s a story about a woman (or in some cases, multiple women) dying at the hands of a man.

I want to thank Simon for his post last weekend, and others who I’ve seen post through my network, including but not limited to Elliot Rae , Sam Plant , James Routledge and Luke Tonge , where men have stepped up to share their voices and allyship on this pressing issue (please do read their posts, they are excellent – and if you’ve seen others, you can post them in the comments).?

I hope to see more men sharing their support in the coming days and weeks. I urge men to find ways to join in the hard work needed to create real change, so that future generations of women and girls don’t have to carry this burden and fear.

I strongly suspect that every woman who reads this post has experienced some form of violation caused by a man (catcalling, inappropriate touching, sexual harassment, rape – the list is long). It’s time for men to recognise the extent of the problem and face the fact that without their support, things will only get worse.?

If you are unaware of how serious the situation is, please take the following steps:

1. Read the full works of Laura Bates .
2. Follow @CheerUpLove, @CountingDeadWomen, and @Lalalaletmeexplain on Instagram (and engage with their content to truly understand the extent of misogyny and femicide). These are great starting points, though there are many other accounts.
3. Get a copy of How Men Can Help: A Guide to Creating True Equality by Sophie Gallagher and implement her recommendations.

A huge thank you to Sophie Wardell for allowing me to share her content - a helpful list of things you can do right now to support women and girls:

??? Give women a voice and the opportunity to be heard.

????♂? Don’t try to "rescue" women, but stand aside so they can contribute.

?? Call out ideas, comments, and actions that are wrong or disadvantage women.

?? Provide active support and empathy (honestly check in with us – it’s been a rubbish few weeks).

?? Educate yourself. Talk to the women you care about and ask how they’re feeling.

Speaking of Sophie, she was kind enough to provide some additional thoughts for this edition, which you can read below. Her comments are followed by those of Florence Brocklesby , founder of Bellevue Law and an employment law expert, who also kindly contributed. The rest of the edition is rounded off with some final thoughts from Si.

Sophie Wardell , People Director at Higgs

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread violations of human rights rooted in gender inequality that women face throughout their lives (according to Oxfam). It has been described by the police as a national emergency in England and Wales.

At least one in every 12 women will be a victim of VAWG every year based on what is reported.?

How can employers assist??

Businesses play an important role in enabling the safety of women. Examples include:

• Encouraging open discussions about safety. Do people feel safe at work and/or travelling to work? What about work events or client meetings?
• Ensuring there are appropriate and effective policies including Safety at Work, Lone Working, Bullying and Harassment, Dignity at Work etc
• Amending working hours if appropriate/necessary so people can travel when they feel safe or paying for taxis if appropriate
• Acting with empathy, care and reassurance if issues arise - respecting confidentiality and engendering trust
• Being extra vigilant with younger employees and limiting/stopping alcohol at work events or work-related activities?

Other important numbers worth sharing:

• In an emergency call 999, in a non-emergency call 101
• If you dial 999 but cannot speak press 55 or tap when prompted

How can men be better allies?

Lee Chambers , a brilliant male ally, wrote this brilliant post that really does say it all.

Recent high-profile cases

• Rebecca Cheptegei – a Ugandan athlete burnt to death by her boyfriend
• Gisele Pélicot – drugged and raped by “up to 72 men” following orders from her husband
• Bryonie Gawith – who died with her three children following an arson attack allegedly started by her former partner
• Steven van de Velde – the 29-year-old Dutch Olympic beach volleyball player is a convicted child rapist?

Additional reading

The best posts I read this past weekend:

• Lucas Hobbs
• Matthew Letts
• Dr Sarah Rutherford
• Dr Jessica Taylor

I also really appreciated Simon’s post and acknowledgement that men could/should do more.

Florence Brocklesby , founder of Bellevue Law

“Fundamentally, there is an epidemic of violence against women and girls in this country (and elsewhere).? This is not an exaggeration – the College of Policing used the word “epidemic” in this July 2024 report .? They said that one in 12 women will be a victim every year, and one in 20 adults will be a perpetrator, and they recognise that their figures are likely to underestimate the scale of the problem.?

These statistics mean that everyone very likely knows not only several victims but also several perpetrators, and that the perpetrators will include people we may otherwise like and respect, not just the stereotypical stranger in a dark alley.

I have held the view for a very long time that violence and sexual harassment of girls and women is so normalised that it is just accepted, and this is the thing that needs to change in order to address the epidemic. I hoped and believed it would be better for my daughters’ generation, but it is actually much worse.??

When we consider the mental health issues affecting so many young people, we need to accept that sexual violence and harassment is a significant causative factor, with a sizeable percentage of all young women suffering from trauma as a result of their experiences.

All this means that most employers of any size – including law firms – should be approaching this issue on the basis that sexual harassment will inevitably be taking place in their workplace and asking hard questions about what they can do to stamp it out – this needs to go far beyond policies and generic training videos, and (as with wider society) this will often require significant cultural change.?

Anecdotally, based on what we see in our practice advising female lawyers, we have seen improvements in how law firms tackle allegations of sexual impropriety since #MeToo, and I believe that the threat of regulatory action has had a deterrent effect.? But it does still happen too often, as illustrated by the statistics Si shared in his recent newsletter about how many complaints the SRA is dealing with (which will also be the tip of the iceberg).”?

Simon P MARSHALL , founder of TBD Marketing Ltd

“This week, I’ve heard many, many comments from women and men, leaders and professionals about what they feel are the duties of men and leaders in relation to speaking up about violence against women and girls.

One thing is clear: there is no consensus. What one woman thinks should happen would not work for another. What one man suggests leaders should do is not agreed with by another.?

‘What difference would it have made to me if a leader had spoken up?’, asked one woman. A fair question. If the post is performative, then nothing. It’s pointless and deserves the negative commentary it gets. But if it’s on the basis of already providing a safe environment within which women can speak up about the many issues they face at the hands of men, then it is to be encouraged.

The volume of stories I have heard this week has encouraged me to remain on the front foot about this topic. I’d encourage other male allies to do so too.”

In other news

Hogan Lovells’ Global Regulatory and IP practice has a new Director of Legislative Affairs

As announced on LinkedIn earlier this week, Nikki da Costa has joined Hogan Lovells as its new Director of Legislative Affairs in the firm’s Global Regulatory and IP practice. Nikki is a leading authority on the UK's legislative and parliamentary processes, having founded the legislative unit at 10 Downing Street. She has served as Director of Legislative Affairs for two UK Prime Ministers and has twice been named one of the top 100 Women in Westminster.

One rule for male KCs?

A female barrister charged with professional misconduct has accused the Bar Standards Board? of sexism. As reported in The Times, Charlotte Proudman – who is accused of posting “misleading tweets” that “inaccurately reflected the findings” of High Court judge Mr Justice Cohen in a domestic abuse case Proudman was acting in – argues that male barristers such as former KC Jolyon Maugham have made similar remarks on social media without censure, thereby highlighting what she regards as a double standard.?

Former law chief faces accusations of sexual harassment

The Times this week reported that Navjot “Jo” Sidhu, a former chair of the Criminal Bar Association who was once in the running to be the country’s top prosecutor, faces a series of sexual harassment claims. Sidhu has been reported to the Bar Standards Board over allegations that he behaved inappropriately with at least four women. The accusations were apparently made via the Bar Council’s online hotline, Talk to Spot .?

BCLP’s boss tells partners to avoid sending weekend emails

As the conversation around law-firm culture continues, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s global senior partner Segun Osuntokun told the Sunday Telegraph that he has urged partners to avoid sending non-urgent emails on the weekend to prevent junior lawyers from becoming overworked. He stated: “I know that if I send an email to a team member on a weekend and I’m not expecting them to do anything about it, they won’t know that. I know that their weekend is going to be impacted severely.”

Comedy’s loss is legal’s gain

For this week’s episode of But is it Legal?, I spoke to William Peake , Global Managing Partner of offshore law firm Harneys . William is one of the most personable and charismatic people in the business, and also a huge hit on LinkedIn, thanks to his insightful and often deeply funny posts. Here, he talks to me about his career journey, which includes a year’s sabbatical doing stand-up comedy, the amazing BD tool that is LinkedIn, and the lessons he would wish to impart to his younger self.

You can give it watch/listen here:

YouTube: https://lnkd.in/exy77NCF

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eU3V3-pz

I hope you have found this week’s edition thought-provoking.

Thanks,

Si

[email protected]