NEWS & VIEWS

 

Life or Death Report launched by Centre for Women's Justice and Imkaan

16/11/2023

 

Report launched during the week another horrifying murder of a Black Woman is reported. On 10 November, 35-year-old Perseverence Ncube was stabbed to death in her home in Salford in front of her two small children. The suspect was reported to be on licence following release from prison and the police have referred the matter for a Domestic Homicide Review.

The report, ‘Life or Death’, highlights how barriers to reporting and failures by police and other services, against a backdrop of intersecting race and sex discrimination have contributed to the tragic deaths of Black and minoritised women. The new research, arising from a collaboration between Imkaan and Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ), is based on 44 case studies of post death investigations from the past 10 years, reviews of data available and the insights of frontline workers from the specialist ‘by and for’ women’s sector.

The research examines the obstacles faced by Black and minoritised women who lose their lives in domestic homicide and suicide in the context of domestic abuse, focusing on the issues they face over and above, and in addition to, the obstacles faced by white women.

It is the first report of its kind that undertakes a deep dive into the issue through an examination of detailed case studies including 38 domestic homicides, six suicides following domestic abuse and two case studies of women who killed their abusive partners.

The report examines the many different ways in which Black and minoritised women can face barriers and state failings when seeking protection from domestic abuse. It highlights that much of the narrative about criminal justice and race is focussed on over policing, with little focus on the experience of victim/survivors which may also be affected by racial stereotyping.

 

Further information can be found on the Centre for Women's Justice website.