Jess Phillips spends five minutes naming women who were killed over the past year

Jess Phillips has marked her tenth year reading out in the House of Commons the names of women thought to have been killed by men in the past year.

The Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls spent five minutes listing 95 names in front of fellow MPs, who listened on in silence.

Among those mentioned were Scarlett Vickers, Sophie Evans, Lisa Smith, Maria Nugara, and Louise, Hannah and Carol Hunt.

Campaigners and family members of several women mentioned watched on, with Phillips occasionally glancing up to them.

Introducing the list, she said: ‘International Women’s Day is a moment to celebrate the achievements of women here in the UK, and to recognise the enormous contributions they have made across every sector, and many have done that today.

‘It has really shone through in the debate, and it has been a privilege to listen as members have reflected on the women who have influences and inspired them.

‘But it turns to me to do the thing I do every year, and I wish I could be entirely uplifting while we celebrate women who have lit up our lives and helped change the world, we also lament the loss of those who did not have the chance.’

As she began the list, those watching in the public galleries spontaneously rose to their feet.

MPs could be seen wiping tears as the list continued for minute after minute, with dozens of names. They included women whose deaths have become national news stories, and those whose deaths have not.

At an event last night, Phillips revealed she regularly has to add additional names to the end of her speech in pencil as news arrives of new incidents and charges.

This Is Not Right

On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a year-long campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.

With the help of our partners at Women's Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency.

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• Introducing This Is Not Right: Metro's year-long violence against women campaign
• Remembering the women killed by men in 2024

She also said she has kept every list from the past 10 years.

This afternoon marked the first time she delivered her address as a government minister. The full list of names was also put on display in the London headquarters of the Home Office for the first time.

In her opening speech in the debate, long-serving Labour Dawn Butler remembered arranging the first list with Phillips for International Women’s Day 2016.

She also pointed out the list does not include transgender women and girls, nor those who took their own lives due to abuse.

Butler was the first MP to speak in an afternoon of powerful and, at times, emotional speeches in the House of Commons delivered by both men and women.

Labour MP Natalia Fleet pointed out to the chamber that in the previous Parliament, members had spent more time discussing football than rape.

She continued: ‘I am the 690th woman MP. Rape Crisis estimates that a quarter of women have been raped and sexually assaulted.

‘If we apply that data to MPs, that means 172 of us have been raped. Half of those, 86 women MPs, will have been raped more than once.

‘Statistically, 28 of them will have reported this. And if there’s a miracle, at the very best, on an optimistic day, there’s potential that one could have led to conviction.’

Sarah Owen, the chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, recalled having to take sick pay after her three miscarriages.

She said: ‘I was very open about it, but not one single person said to me, “Get better soon.” They said, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

‘Now, if society has moved on and realises that miscarriage and pregnancy loss is a loss and not a sickness, it’s time our law did as well.’

According to statistics from the Home Office, 898 women have been victims of domestic homicide in the past decade, of whom 78% were killed by a partner or ex-partner.

Overall, 92% of female homicide victims were killed by a man.

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