Sarah Everard’s Murder

Crystal Kalin

On March 3rd in England, 33 year old Sarah Everard vanished and a week later her body was found in a bag. With further investigation a British police officer was charged with the murder of the young and innocent Sarah, sparking a movement for the safety and protection of women all around the world from violence perpetrated by men.

Sarah grew up in the Heslington area of York, where her family still lives. Her father, Jeremy, is a professor, and her mother, Sue, works for a charity. She was the baby of the family, with two older siblings. On March 3rd, 33 year old Sarah Everard left a friend’s home in the Clapham neighborhood of London at 9 p.m., to make her way back to her apartment in nearby Brixton. The walk should have only taken her 50 minutes considering the fact that she chose well-lit streets, spoke with her boyfriend on the phone, and took the fastest route possible. However, what pains everyone who hears her story is how she did all of these things women are advised to do to improve their safety, yet she didn’t make it home.

After further investigations when Sarah’s body was found police were able to confirm a 48-year-old serving police officer named Wayne Couzens was guilty for Sarah’s kidnapping and murder and was arrested on March 12. When the news came that a police officer had been arrested for her death, peaceful protests and memorials were conducted to remember Sarah as the nation came to a realization that her death was a more serious event that not only concerns Sarah, but every woman around the world. For many women in Britain, Ms. Everard’s killing and the police’s intervention at Sarah’s vigil in her memory have allowed women to have the power to speak up about how unprotected they truly are. Many spoke up about their past and current suffering from abuse and harassment that has been ignored for many years.

While many women who didn’t know Sarah were saddened by her passing, those who did were truly grieving at her loss and reminiscing on moments they spent together. Holly Morgan, one of Sarah’s good friends, said “She was sunshine and light, and made you feel warm and good and safe, I feel angry about it as well, but my main anger is that it happened to her.” Speaking about Everard and her family, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday, “I cannot imagine how unbearable their pain and grief is…We must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime,” adding, “I will do everything I can to make sure the streets are safe and ensure women and girls do not face harassment or abuse.”

As the investigation into Everard’s murder continues, women around the world are putting both the police, and men as a whole, under careful examination. From sharing personal experiences of harassment and abuse, to highlighting the fact that Everard did everything that society tells women to do when walking alone- walking in a well lit area, taking the fastest route, and talking to someone on the phone- and still did not make it home. It saddens me that the fear of men from abuse, harassment, etc. is something that 95% of women worldwide experience. Although Sarah’s death was a tragedy, it also brought up the essential conversation about women that has been ignored to the light and sparked a fight for society to change; so that women can live in a world without fear.