Our Mission
Killed Women is a campaign organisation and network for bereaved families whose daughters, mothers, sisters or other relatives have been killed by men. We have come together through our own personal grief to be a voice for killed women and their families. We want to change the perception that these deaths and injustices are unavoidable tragedies to be expected and accepted. They are not.
This network of families, of different backgrounds and experiences, is campaigning to:
- better protect all women from the most extreme forms of violence;
- ensure justice for those whose lives are lost;
- improve the support and rights of the families left behind, especially children.
Many of us have faced not only unimaginable loss, but also huge failings from the organisations and systems that were supposed to protect, support or deliver justice – whether that be the courts, the police, social services, the media or any other institutions. We believe we have been let down by a litany of failures from public bodies and negligent inaction from successive governments. We want to make sure what has happened to us never happens to anyone else.
As the loved ones of killed women, we should be at the heart of policy-making. When those in power are making choices about what to do to stop women dying, the people who know what it is truly like should be a key part of that process. We know better than anyone else the gravity of these crimes and what led to them. We know what needs to change to protect women and deliver justice. We represent the voices of our loved ones and we should be heard.
We want as many family members as possible to be part of this campaign group, so that our voices are listened to. We want to work with families of different backgrounds and experiences to make sure we have laws and policies that protect, support and ensure justice for all women. We know that racism, prejudice based on disability, financial position or immigration status, can impact the abuse, violence or organisational failures women and families suffer.
The power of this group will be driven by all our voices; voices of those who know what it’s like to have family members ripped from our lives. Together we want to become a voice that can’t just be swept aside; we intend to become a force that demands action beyond condolences.
We hope to bring together and support the tenacity, courage, and drive for justice many bereaved families have. We want to unite in our collective mission for change and put our voice at the centre of the fight to tackle violence against women and girls.