LONDON — She was just walking home.
The death of Sarah Everard, who was last seen walking on a busy south London street just after 9:30 p.m. March 3, has gripped the United Kingdom.
Police confirmed Friday that a body found by investigators Wednesday was that of the 33-year-old marketing executive, and that Wayne Couzens, an elite officer with London Metropolitan Police’s diplomatic protection command, had been charged with her murder. He is set to appear in a London court, Saturday.
Commenting on the arrest, Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said Wednesday that the case had sent “waves of shock and anger” through the public and the entire force. “We are utterly appalled at this dreadful news,” she said. “Our job is to patrol the streets and to protect people.”
The case has also set off calls for action on male violence against women and girls, and a change in the dialogue that surrounds it.
While the search for Everard was underway, thousands of women shared stories online about the abuse and fears they have experienced on streets in Britain, where more than 70 percent of women have been sexually harassed in public, according to a 2019 United Nations study.
Among those to speak out was the “Game of Thrones” actress Nathalie Emmanuel, who talked about “the countless times” she had faced “predatory behavior by men,” in a Twitter thread.
In an Instagram Story“Bridgerton” star Regé-Jean Page said: “Who are we not mentioning in this equation? It’s us. It’s men.”
“The grief and distress from women reacting to what happened to Sarah Everard shows just how differently women experience public space compared to men,” Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women campaign group, told NBC News.
“We rarely hear about what drives perpetrators to harm women and what needs to be put in place to stop this behavior,” she added.
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Women in London were nearly twice as likely as men to mention personal safety as a barrier to walking and using public transport, according to a 2019 report by the Centre for London think tank.
Everard’s disappearance has shined a light on a double standard that exists: Women are expected to adapt their behavior to reduce personal risk, which in turn fuels a “victim-blaming culture” and detracts attention from male actions, Simon said.
“The thing that is depressing about this whole discussion is, too often, I think women are told not to go out alone after dark. I just can't even imagine the outrage if men were told that,” Anna Yearley, executive director of Reprieve, a legal action NGO, said. “Why should the onus be on women?”
“You realize just how normal these things have become. We've sort of been conditioned as women to always be nervous when we're on the streets,” she added.
Admitting that the city was not safe for women and girls, London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the local LBC radio station that “it was really important that people of my gender understand that.”
Jenny Jones, a member of Britain’s House of Lords, also suggested that all men should adhere to a 6 p.m. curfew.
Some men have said they were being unfairly portrayed, using the #NotAllMen hashtag on Twitter, although others have asked what they can do to reduce the anxiety women feel when walking alone at night.
That has spurred an outpouring of advice online from women, who have shared suggestions for how men can make their presence feel less uncomfortable — by doing things like crossing the street instead of staying behind a woman late at night, and speaking up if they witness bad behavior.
“Men can be amazing allies in this and can really help shift the narrative,” Yearley said.
Having earlier planned vigils in cities across the country, including the south London neighborhood where Everard disappeared, the “Reclaim These Streets” group which organized the events said in a statement Saturday, that they would hold a virtual gathering instead.
On Friday, a judge at London's High Court refused to intervene on behalf of the group in a legal challenge over the right to gather for a protest during coronavirus restrictions.
Instead, the group said it planned to raise money for women's causes.
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