Families and Campaigners Rally for Justice

Southall Black Sisters’ Vigil for Black, Minoritised, and Migrant Women Lost to Men’s Violence

On Tuesday, 25 November, bereaved families of Black, minoritised, and migrant women killed by men’s violence, alongside campaigners led by Southall Black Sisters (SBS), gathered opposite 10 Downing Street to demand an end to femicide. The vigil marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and formed part of the 16 Days of Activism.

Yesterday’s statement from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), recommending misconduct proceedings against four Northamptonshire police officers for their handling of Harshita Brella’s abuse allegations underscore the urgent need for this vigil: to prevent the erasure of Black, minoritised, and migrant women lost to men’s violence and to demand justice for their deaths.

Harshita Brella’s family, with whom SBS are in contact, said in response to the IOPC statement:

“I saw the IOPC statement, and it feels insufficient to me. I have been saying that the UK police let Harshita down, and now this has been officially confirmed by the IOPC statement. We know Harshita used to call and no one would pick up. And if they did, they would say the officer she asked for was on leave. They told her they would come to meet her, and they never did. She even took leave from work. She was severely ignored. Now they are making these announcements and framing them as if a mistake was made, but they are not accepting that true accountability requires giving this case priority and setting an example to prevent another abuser like Pankaj Lamba. This case is not old enough for the evidence to have disappeared. The UK police should show seriousness and work to improve, not simply acknowledge a mistake. I want to see an example being set so that women like Harshita are safe in the UK.”

Selma Taha, Executive Director, SBS says:

“The IOPC statement in Harshita Brella’s case underscores the UK government’s ongoing failure to safeguard women and girls, particularly those from marginalised communities, and highlights the relentless struggle families face for accountability even after their loved ones’ deaths. This vigil is a wake-up call: drawing on the courage of bereaved families and campaigners, it demands an end to femicide, an end to silence, and urgent, tangible reforms the government must enact to protect women and girls.”

Bekhal Mahmod, the sister of Banaz Mahmod, who was killed in an ‘honour killing’ in 2006 and failed by the police, says:

“It seems nothing has changed since the murder of my beloved sister, Banaz. Banaz reported rape, abuse, attempts and threats to kill five times before her death. Despite more training and awareness, the police have not learnt the lessons. For over five years, I have campaigned with Southall Black Sisters for major reform in Banaz’s name. We call it Banaz’s Law: a demand for ‘honour’-based abuse to be treated as an aggravating factor in sentencing, supported by multi-agency statutory guidance. This will help to improve the response of the police and other agencies. I fight in her name to protect anyone who may face similar injustice and discrimination.”

Bereaved families and campaigners honoured the lives of women lost to men’s violence and called for urgent reforms to address systemic failures, particularly those affecting Black, minoritised, and migrant women. The vigil included moving tributes from the following:

• Sonia Dabas for Harshita Brella
• Hannana Siddiqui – Southall Black Sisters
• Ayse Hussein for Jan Mustafa
• Baroness Gohir
• Bekhal Mahmod for Banaz Mahmod
• David Challen
• Ghadah Alnasseri – Imkaan
• Linda Westcarr for Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche
• Onjali Rauf for Mumtahina Ruma Jannat
• Shaun Case for Michelle Sparman
• Veronica Jaso – Femicide Census
• Yasmin Javed for Fawziyah Javed

Ayse, Bekhal, Linda, Onjali, and Yasmin are part of the Killed Women network and are campaigners under the Invisible Women banner.

The vigil highlighted key legislative amendments SBS is championing under the Crime and Policing and Victims and Courts Bills. Grounded in real cases where women were failed by the system, these proposals aim to safeguard victim-survivors, hold perpetrators fully accountable, and recognise the severity of domestic and ‘honour’-based abuse. By addressing overlooked forms of gender-based violence and structural inequalities, they strengthen protections for all women and girls, sending a clear message: no more silence, no more loss.

The amendments include:

• Banaz’s Law and ‘honour’-based abuse: In memory of Banaz Mahmod and championed by her sister Bekhal Mahmod with support from SBS, this amendment seeks to explicitly recognise ‘honour’-based abuse as an aggravating factor in sentencing for relevant offences, supported by robust multi-agency statutory guidance.
• Self-harm and suicides driven by domestic and ‘honour’-based abuse: This amendment recognises the encouragement or assistance of self-harm when preceded by a history of domestic or ‘honour’-based abuse as an aggravating factor in sentencing and allows courts to impose sentences equivalent to murder where such conduct results in the victim’s death by suicide.
• No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF): This amendment aims to ensure all women have equal access to safety and support, regardless of immigration status, by extending the combined Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) and Domestic Violence Indefinite Leave to Remain (DVILR) model to all migrant victim-survivors.

The vigil amplified calls for an independent public inquiry on femicide to prevent further deaths and ensure that these tragedies are not in vain and to end all forms of gender-based violence, including domestic and sexual violence, forced marriage, dowry-related abuse, economic abuse, ‘honour’-based abuse, and immigration-related abuse.

These demands follow recommendations presented to the Prime Minister yesterday by SBS in partnership with Killed Women as part of Invisible Women. Based on lived experience research with seven bereaved families and guided by the expertise of SBS and Killed Women, the report issues urgent recommendations for whole-system reform.

The vigil was a powerful demonstration of solidarity. Attendees paid tribute to women lost to men’s violence with flowers and candles and spoke of their sorrow and outrage at devastating losses that could have been prevented if the UK treated violence against women and girls with the seriousness it demands. Campaigners urged the government, given its mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, to implement urgent reforms, including structural changes, to ensure that Black, minoritised, and migrant women are not left behind.

Media contact:
Sanskriti Sanghi, Communications, Policy and Strategic Litigation Manager, Southall Black Sisters
E: [email protected] | T: 07771 316138

Notes:

• Nearly two women are killed every week in the UK, and suicides driven by abuse now outnumber domestic homicides. Black, minoritised, and migrant women are disproportionately affected: of the 369 female domestic homicide victims recorded between 2020 and 2024, 88 (one in four) were from Black, minoritised, and migrant backgrounds, almost 50% higher than in the general population. In London, the disparity is even starker: 62% of femicide victims in 2023 were Black, despite Black women comprising only around 14% of the city’s female population. Migrant women with NRPF are three times as likely to experience violence as other women.