Latest news with #violenceAgainstWomen
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
Amy Hunt says murder of mother and sisters was ‘rooted in misogyny'
Amy Hunt, whose mother and two sisters were murdered in their home last year, has said the attack was 'rooted in misogyny', calling for radical societal changes to address the 'epidemic' of violence against women and young girls. Amy's mother, Carol, 61, and sisters Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, were killed in July by Kyle Clifford, her youngest sister's former partner. The three women were the wife and daughters of the BBC racing commentator John Hunt. Clifford, 26, from Enfield, north London, fatally stabbed Carol after he followed her into her home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, under the pretence he was bringing over some of his former partner's belongings. He then waited for Louise to arrive, before raping her and using a crossbow to shoot her and Hannah. Speaking to the BBC in their first interview since the murders, Amy said: 'Violence against women and girls in all its forms … doesn't have to be as catastrophic as this, because it happens in small ways every single day. 'We've got a serious obligation as a society to change men's behaviour because this is a man's issue – it's not a woman's issue.' Asked whether Clifford's attack was fuelled by the social media content of Andrew Tate, whose videos he had watched in the days before the murders, Amy said: 'I think it's ridiculous to say that Kyle Clifford was not capable of murder, watched Andrew Tate, and became capable of murder and rape. 'We live in society that in many cases emboldens misogyny, allows misogyny to fester. It's not just Andrew Tate, there are many subsets of Andrew Tate on social media.' Issuing a message to 'young women in a troubled relationship', John Hunt said: 'Try and find the strength to extricate yourself from that, because you deserve so much better.' John called for young boys to begin receiving education about misogyny from as early as nursery. He said: 'I think schools should have far more freedom to explain, get young boys to behave correctly towards women, at the earliest possible age. I mean nursery age.' John described media reports claiming Hannah and Clifford had an 'abusive' relationship as 'ill-informed' and 'off-the-scale inaccurate'. He said Clifford 'violated us and our family in the most horrific of ways, but what those stories felt like was a continued violation'. Reflecting on her mother and sisters, Amy said: 'They are the representation of all things good. 'They worked hard, loved hard, had fun, travelled, went and did the things they loved, spent time with the people they loved, were kind, caring, considerate. 'They don't stop being your sisters, your mum, when they pass away. I'll always be one of three sisters, we'll always be a family of five.' Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Misogyny is an epidemic fuelled by social media, Amy Hunt tells BBC in first interview
Amy Hunt, whose mother and two sisters were murdered in their own home last year, has told the BBC there is an "epidemic" of misogyny in society that has "the most horrific, devastating consequences".In her first interview since the murders of her mum, Carol, and sisters, Hannah and Louise, Amy say the UK "should be very concerned" about sexist, hateful content on social media - calling on media platforms, people in power, schools and "every single one of us" to do something about tells the BBC people are "slowly waking up" to the links between hate posted on social media and violence against women by men in real man who killed her loved ones was Kyle Clifford, her youngest sister's ex-boyfriend. The attacks came two weeks after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. Amy describes Clifford as a man filled with hatred, self-loathing, and a deep insecurity. "It's very clear he hates women," she says. "But what I often say is, he doesn't hate women as much as he hates himself."She says there is "a serious obligation as a society to change men's behaviour, because this is a man's issue - it is not a woman's issue".Amy has been speaking to the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire alongside her father, racing commentator John John and Amy Hunt's interview with BBC's Victoria DerbyshireThe pair describe the legacy of love Carol, Hannah and Louise have left. John says it is this that has helped sustain them through their trauma and grief. The three women remain a constant presence in their lives, he adds that her mother and sisters were "the best of us" and says "the world is a much emptier place without them".Clifford fatally stabbed 61-year-old Carol in July last year after he followed her into her home, in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on the pretext of bringing over some of his former partner Louise's then lay in wait for Louise, 25, before raping her, and using a crossbow to shoot both her and her sister Hannah, can watch the full interview, Standing Strong: The John and Amy Hunt interview, with Victoria Derbyshire at 21:00 BST on BBC1 and on iPlayer In March this year, he was sentenced to three whole-life orders, meaning he will never be released from and Amy strongly reject reports in some media that there were clear signs of abuse by Clifford during his relationship with in the case did, however, say Clifford's actions had been fuelled by the "violent misogyny" promoted by controversial social media personality Andrew Tate, whose videos he had watched in the days before the had searched for Tate's podcast the day before carrying out the court was told it was no coincidence that he had turned to such content before carrying out the violence. Amy says she believes there was an "undeniable link".But she also says any suggestion that Clifford was not dangerous, or that he only became capable of murder after watching misogynistic content, is "ridiculous". She says, however, we live in a society that "emboldens misogyny" and "allows misogyny to fester"."It's not just Andrew Tate, there are many subsets of Andrew Tate on social media who are spouting the same misogynistic hate - that is an undeniable fact and we should be very concerned about it." She feels misogyny is "the acceptable form of extremism" on social media platforms."We've got a serious issue on our hands, and we don't give it the attention it deserves until it forces its way into your life, like it has ours," she says the minute Clifford left their home on the day of the incident, "my mum, Hannah and Louise became a statistic. They became victims of Kyle Clifford." She wants "to breathe life back into my mum, Hannah and Louise as fully-rounded people".When sentencing Clifford in March, the judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, described him as a "jealous man soaked in self-pity, who holds women in utter contempt". The attacks, the judge added, were "brutal and cowardly".Reflecting on these words, John says: "I know it's difficult to hear, but it's worth remembering that he killed Carol in the most brutal way, and [he] still had choices after that. "He didn't choose to say, 'oh my God, what have I done? I've got to get out of here'. His choice then was to say, 'I've killed Carol, and now I'm going to sit and wait for an hour and a half. I'm going to kill Louise as well, and whatever time Hannah turns up, [do the] same'."The amount of time that day, on 9 July, he would have just been sitting there making a conscious decision to do the next step. It's impossible for us to comprehend, isn't it?"He says schools should teach boys to respect women and girls much earlier than they currently do. Once boys start viewing dangerous, misogynistic content online, he adds, "they're already on the path to doom".Amy says she believes misogynist influencers "don't care" about the men and boys who watch their content."Who are the people that do care about the men in our society? It's the people who love them, the people who know them," she says. "It's a question of what sort of world are we comfortable living in."If you've been affected by some of the issues raised in this story details of support are available at BBC Action Line.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Watch the moment proud boyfriend Louis Tomlinson is spotted supporting Zara McDermott on stage at Glastonbury
Proud boyfriend Louis Tomlinson supported Zara McDermott from the crowd during her charity talk. Love Islander turned BBC documentary maker Zara, 28, was part of a serious panel with Refuge charity on Thursday afternoon, and dutiful Louis was watching her. 5 The talk, entitled How to Create Societal Change: Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls took place on the small Information stage. An onlooker said : "Zara looked a bit nervous but kept smiling at Louis and he made sure he was in her eyeline and was beaming back at her. "It was really sweet to watch, they certainly seem very smitten with each other. "He disappeared just before it ended so he could go back stage and be reunited with her, but it was heartwarming to see him being a dutiful, loved up boyfriend." The pair have been dating since March and have been on several trips together. Speaking after the talk Zara said: "I'm not camping but I'm absolutely loving it. I literally just got here just before this talk so this is my first day. I'm staying here for a few days with some friends. Yeah Louis is here too." The Glasto jaunt comes after the couple enjoyed a luxury weekend together at Estelle Manor in Oxfordshire. Zara 's snaps showed the impressive exterior as well coffees with love heart motifs. Earlier this month Zara's ex Sam Thompson and her new man Louis put their personal differences to one side earlier this month as they teamed up in an England XI to raise money for Unicef at Soccer Aid. Today, it was revealed that Sam has split from his Love Island girlfriend Samie Elishi after only two months. Loved-up Louis Tomlinson and Zara McDermott can't stop snogging on holiday in Costa Rica 5 5 5
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Natasha review: Moving insight into brutal personal experience that became a national lightning rod
In Ireland, there is the unstated assumption and, indeed expectation, that people, women especially, will keep their heads down, eyes to the floor – no matter what injustices they have suffered. But Natasha O'Brien did not receive the memo and spoke out after she was brutally assaulted in Limerick in 2022 and her attacker received a suspended sentence. Her case caused a national outcry and was regarded as one more sign of official indifference towards an epidemic of violence against women. This being Ireland, people also have something to say about a woman who used her voice, and O'Brien received a lot of hatred online, as she reveals in Kathleen Harris's compellingly meditative and dreamlike Natasha (RTÉ One, Wednesday, 9.35pm). A moving and thought-provoking documentary, Natasha sets itself the difficult challenge of reporting in a straightforward fashion on the assault on O'Brien by former Defence Forces member Cathal Crotty and the Director of Public Prosecution's subsequent appeal against the lenient sentence, while also capturing O'Brien's state of mind. [ 'The systems need to be gutted': Natasha O'Brien leads rally for justice at Dáil Opens in new window ] Harris's strategy is to figuratively sit at O'Brien's shoulder and to capture the rush of emotions – positive and negative – as her case becomes a national lightning rod. It's a disorientating experience – as it was for O'Brien, who, being human, has her moments of doubt and cries the day after Crotty receives a two-year jail term on appeal. READ MORE Natasha opens with O'Brien recalling a childhood trauma: 'I was swimming in the sea, a wave took me under. I was helplessly accepting I was being pulled under. There was nothing I could do.' That experience seems to have foreshadowed the assault she suffered at the hands of Crotty after she and a friend intervened as he and a number of other men yelled homophobic abuse at another passerby. 'The last thing he said before [he] started punching me was, 'Oh, you're a dirty lesbian'. That first punch just hooked me, it was so powerful. They kept coming: right hook after right hook,' O'Brien recalls. Her injuries were extensive: bruising all over the legs, arms and back, a broken nose – and a concussion that left her at high risk of a potentially fatal brain bleed. But despite speaking out about the leniency of the sentence, O'Brien explains that she does not always see her moral strength as a positive – maybe it would be easier if she just let things go. 'I spent time wishing I was different,' she says. 'I don't make my life easy by keeping my head up and speaking my mind. It doesn't make my life easy, and it never has.' As director, Harris skilfully teases out O'Brien's relationship with her parents, who separated when she was a child. Her father, Joe, is stoically supportive, but sparks fly between O'Brien and her mother, Anne. 'We speak less, we hardly speak at all,' says her mother. Gender violence has reached epidemic proportions the support group Women's Aid said recently, and those statistics mirror the experience of O'Brien, Meav McLoughlin-Doyle and Bláthnaid Raleigh , who talk about surviving physical assault and sexual violence. 'My ex-husband will get six years,' says McLoughlin-Doyle. 'The trauma of what happened to myself and my children will last a lifetime.' As is only correct, Natasha makes for sober viewing. But there is tremendous poignancy in the final scene of O'Brien and her mother at the beach, staring out to sea. It would be trite to say that O'Brien has achieved closure, and the film does not seek to impose that narrative on her. But there is empathy and togetherness between daughter and mother, and after all the physical and emotional pain O'Brien has suffered and the treatment she went through at the hands of the justice system, it is tremendously heartening to see her looking to the future with hope. Natasha can be streamed on RTÉ Player
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The shocking reason so many British women are giving up running - and why men are to blame
British women are quitting outdoor exercise after being harassed by men on the street. The UK is currently in the midst of an 'epidemic of violence against women', according Emily Clarkson, who recently shared how she was 'humiliated' after being catcalled while out walking. The daughter of Jeremy Clarkson, a regular on ITV 's Lorraine, shared the harrowing tale on a recent episode of the show, telling presenters how a group of men in a van had leered at her while she out walking her baby in a pram in London. Appearing sobbing in a video, she recalled how she and her friend had been out walking her five month old baby when a group of men pulled down the window to shout and jeer at her. Then, spotting her from a park bench, a man stood up proceeded to tail her down a path telling her she was gorgeous - the incident leaving her 'angry, scared and humiliated'. Her story is sadly not unique, and one shared by 97 per cent of women who have been subjected to sexual harassment in their lives, according to recent figures. Speaking to Femail, Chrissie Wunna, a 44-year-old TV personality from Doncaster, felt she had no other option other than to quit going to the gym after constantly being harassed by men. Elsewhere, writer Minreet Kaur, 44, found herself questioning whether to give up her passion for running following a series of negative experiences being harassed and even chased by men. Pictured In March 2021, the disappearance of Sarah Everard triggered a nationwide discussion over the safety of women and young girls on UK streets - even prompting government to lay out a plan to increase provisions, such as increase budgets for lighting and security cameras, to improve the situation. Four years later and many are still making the same complaints. Not only do women feel unsafe on their home roads, but are forfeiting integral parts of their lives to ensure their safety. A study by the Women in Sport charity found that one million girls who once considered themselves sporty, disengage with their passions before adulthood, citing a sense of unsafety and lack of confidence as reasons. Even those who carry their sport in to adulthood, feel they are being left no choice but to abandon their game. A glamorous model too, Chrissie is no stranger to receiving attention from men. But while once able to brush of the advances of lustful strangers, she soon found herself too 'anxious' and had to quit. She is used to being in the limelight having starred in reality shows, including Naked Attraction, First Dates, and Love at First Lie, but found herself under an even closer microscope when walking into a gym. 'I used to work out all the time and go to gym, but I had to stop going because it got to the point where as soon as I walked in I was getting looked at, leered at and chatted up almost every minute,' she told MailOnline. Far from enjoying her workout, she described being plagued by constant leers and advances from male gymgoers. 'It would happen all the time I went to the gym, so it wasn't just a one off,' she explained. 'I couldn't wait to leave,' she said, adding that some even some even took it as far as to film her without permission. 'Guys were filming my chest when I was on a treadmill or literally writing their numbers or Instas on my water bottle. 'I couldn't even stand alone for five minutes without someone asking me out. 'It was now after telly even more crazy. So I never go now and I'll never go again.' While she knew that being in the public eye would make her more susceptible to attention, she had hoped that time in the gym would give her respite from her hectic lifestyle. 'I don't mind the attention I understand my job, but when I was at the gym, I kinda just wanted my own space and time away from I just wasn't allowed that.' The attention she received was wall to wall. Chrissie described one incident she couldn't even get past the front desk without being 'hit on by the guy at the front', and just moments later again when she got on the treadmill. 'It was almost like the whole place had stopped to look at me,' she said. But she chose to ignore those starting at her and carry on with her workout out, only to then be approached again. 'A guy asked me who I was and if I was single on my walk to it, I was getting loads of winks and guys where all nudging each other,' she explained. 'When I'm on the treadmill for 5 mins another guy comes up to me tells me I'm pretty, looks at my chest and says 'they're big' and hands me a business card whilst I'm on the treadmill. And things didn't end there. 'I got to the treadmill another guy comes up and asks me if I need any help, then proceeds to ask if I'm seeing anyone, compliments me on my body… I'm whenever I go into a gym, it's a thing…' On another occasion, she walked in the gym and found herself being filmed by a group of men while she was working out. One man offered to fill up her water bottle, to which Chrissie accepted, believing him to be doing her a kindness. But once again, his intentions proved less friendly when he returned the bottle and had written his number on it. Despite being face with a barrage of lusting onlookers each and every time she entered the facility, no one ever offered to step in, and Chrissie found herself not wanting to 'make a fuss'. 'I just wanted to leave because it was really off putting. I once had a trainer. Even they asked me out.' Constantly feeling like 'everyone was staring' left Chrissie with 'anxiety'. Feeling as though she was only ever looked at as a 'piece of meat', she eventually made the decision to call it quits on going to the gym. She vowed 'never to go to a public gym', and said she'd only feel comfortable should she build in her own home. 'It's completely put me off going to the gym. I never go. I hate it. I just go on walks. 'I used to go a lot, all the time and then just completely stopped and haven't been for years,' she said. Anna Fawaz is a personal trainer living in London, who has witnessed firsthand how impacted women are when faced with intimidation or harassment in gyms. 'Women can often feel intimidated by the male-dominated weight areas,' she noted, adding that she has often had to accompany clients in weight areas to give them the confidence to enter them. 'Many women initially perceive men in the gym as intimidating,' she said. 'While I've helped improve confidence in many women to train independently, I also recognise that some women still don't feel comfortable working out alone. Instead, she has noted an uptick in the number of women opting for spaces that are predominantly female. Such as choosing 'one-on-one sessions or female dominated classes like legs, bums and tums because they feel uneasy about being stared at or feeling uncomfortable in the male-dominated weight section. But her love for running has been tainted by unpleasant experiences on the road as she explained she'd been subjected to catcalling on numerous occasions 'For these women, having a supportive environment is essential for their progress and well-being.' And she has personal experiences of her own, recalling an incident in which she forfeited her own gym membership after being pursued repeatedly by a man. 'I cancelled my gym membership at a gym I really liked because a guy kept chatting me up while I was trying to work out and refused to leave,' she said. Incidents of harassment isn't limited to the confines of gym walls. Minreet, a passionate runner, but has recently found herself questioning whether to give up the hobby following a series of negative experiences being harassed and even chased by men. She recalled the first time she went running with a friend and was beeped at several times by two men during the early hours of the morning. Minreet began running in her forties as an outlet to help keep her grounded while caring for her mother, who has myeloma. 'I turn to running as it helps me as an outlet and it mentally and physically helps me to deal with my day. I love running for fitness, health and just for general wellbeing.' But her love for running has been tainted by unpleasant experiences on the road as she explained she'd been subjected to catcalling on numerous occasions. 'I always get men horning and saying something. I have had a few guys laugh as I run past and say something which I can't hear as it's so quick. 'I have had men shout out 'oi sexy' out the window and it's always when I am road running that men feel the need to horn and say something. One time I had a man blow kisses and even sometimes when I am with my mum they still do it.' She has even experienced men catcalling her when she has been out running with her mother, and now more often finds herself sticking to parks which 'are mostly full of families.' While she doesn't want to have to give up her passion, she has been left 'so paranoid' of running on her own near her home in West London, an area she feels is particularly affected by catcalling issues. 'In some places I speak to women and they feel so safe. I just feel it's not safe and it's quite scary,' she said. Though it isn't something she wants to give up, since 'not running makes me feel depressed.' 'It's massively affected my confidence and feelings of safety. When I run alone I am always alert and looking over my shoulder. I don't feel safe. 'I prefer to run with my dad who is an avid runner he is 77, I feel safe with my dad, or on Sundays we run as a group a mix of men and women and then I feel safe. 'I really feel like running less now as I have to drive to a park and run instead of feeling free to run wherever I like.' She has even considered throwing in the towel at one point and has looked at taking up other kids of exercise. 'I have thought about other exercises but that would be swimming or the gym which I do already but running is so much more fun and I love the outdoors. 'I just feel for women in the UK especially it's not safe. I would love to move to another country like Japan or Singapore just so I can run anytime of the day and feel safe, that's how much running means to me.
