'She was my daughter' – Femicide Census shows a woman is killed every month by a man in Yorkshire

One woman is killed by a man every month in Yorkshire, a disturbing report has found.

Some 120 women were killed by men in Yorkshire between 2009 and 2018, according to the Femicide Census' 10-year report.

In most cases in the 1,425 women who were killed by a man in the UK in this period, the reason was listed as a domestic homicide while the relationship between the victim and accused killed was - for the majority - a spouse, partner or ex-partner.

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Overall, 92 per cent of the UK's femicide victims in this decade were killed by someone they knew, including by their sons, friends or acquaintances.

120 women in Yorkshire have been killed by men between 2009 and 2018, the Femicide Census' 10-year report has showed120 women in Yorkshire have been killed by men between 2009 and 2018, the Femicide Census' 10-year report has showed
120 women in Yorkshire have been killed by men between 2009 and 2018, the Femicide Census' 10-year report has showed

Among the 120 cases in Yorkshire, there was one in which the police force's investigation (West Yorkshire Police) was referred to independent police watchdog IOPC for a review.

The 1,425 women named in the report include the names of female victims of terrorist attacks carried out by men, although the 120 Yorkshire victims do not include Sorrell Leczkowski, Kelly Brewster, Wendy Fawell and Angela Klis, who died in the Manchester Arena terror attack in May 2017.

In 59 per cent of all UK cases, the convicted or legally-established perpetrators had histories of violence or abuse towards the victim.

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Campaigners who worked on the report have now called for greater intervention from organisations and authorities, highlighting that the UK is one few European countries that has not ratified the Istanbul Convention, drawing upon the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

120 women were killed by men in Yorkshire between 2009 and 2018120 women were killed by men in Yorkshire between 2009 and 2018
120 women were killed by men in Yorkshire between 2009 and 2018

Julie Warren Sykes' daughter Samantha Sykes, 18, was killed by her friend Elisa Frank's ex-partner, Ahmad Otak, in March 2012.

Leeds Crown Court heard how Otak had killed Ms Frank's sister, 17-year-old Kimberley Frank, in front of her to punish her for not taking him back, then made her lure Miss Sykes to the flat where he also killed her.

Ms Sykes, from Wakefield, has since set up the Samantha Sykes Foundation Trust which supports children in care and survivors of child sexual exploitation to access education and therapy.

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She said: "Samantha was 18 when her life was taken. She was my daughter.

Samantha Sykes was murdered by Ahmad Otak in Wakefield in 2012Samantha Sykes was murdered by Ahmad Otak in Wakefield in 2012
Samantha Sykes was murdered by Ahmad Otak in Wakefield in 2012

"The young person who was murdered along with Samantha, was a victim of child sexual exploitation. Samantha tried to support her to get the right help. She was courageous and compassionate. She hated injustice of any kind and was never afraid to challenge this."

The report, founded by Karen Ingala Smith and Clarissa O'Callaghan, comes amidst a rise in calls to domestic abuse helplines this year as families across the country were locked down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dame Vera Baird QC, Victims Commissioner for England and Wales, said the Femicide Census filled “a shameful gap” in the UK’s armoury to record, challenge, address and prevent femicides, and represented “missed opportunities” in protecting female victims of violence.

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Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs who was appointed last year said: “This report not only highlights the shockingly high number of women who are killed by men every year, but also evidences that there has been no sign of a decline in femicide over a decade-long period.

Nadia Khan was killed by husband Tariq Khan in Bradford in 2015. Ms Khan was seven months' pregnant at the time, with the baby also losing its life. Picture: SWNSNadia Khan was killed by husband Tariq Khan in Bradford in 2015. Ms Khan was seven months' pregnant at the time, with the baby also losing its life. Picture: SWNS
Nadia Khan was killed by husband Tariq Khan in Bradford in 2015. Ms Khan was seven months' pregnant at the time, with the baby also losing its life. Picture: SWNS

“This is extremely concerning. The vast majority of women are killed by men who they are currently, or have previously been, in a relationship with.

“We owe it to the lives of all of these women to ensure that the government and partner agencies focus on the gendered nature of domestic abuse and wider forms of violence against women and girls to ensure that anyone subject to abuse is provided with the all the support they need.”

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