Sarah Everard’s remains were found on Mar. 10 in a field in London, after she went missing on March 3. She was kidnapped and murdered by a police officer named Wayne Couzens while walking home from a friend’s house. END

Her kidnapping and murder sparked a women’s rights and safety movement/protest for women and men to come together to make people aware of the problem of violence against women. 

“Women have had enough of being for their life when doing simple things like walking home,” Rhegan Burkart (10) said. “This sent women around the world around the world over the edge and has sparked a movement to help women feel safer.”

The protest started as a quiet memorial in the town square where flowers and signs were placed for Sarah but later turned into chaos with police.

“We’re protesting against violence against women, and we’re being shut down by the police,” event manager, Ms. Klingler said.

Police started removing people violently during the protest due to Covid-19 regulations. Many people were infuriated by this action due to Sarah’s killer being a police officer. 

“Ultimately, you’re there to show what’s going on around you. In the beginning, it was about the flowers, the emotion,” photographer, Hannah McKay said. “And then it became about the mass and the amount of people that were there, so then it was about showing the scale. And then the police came, and it became about showing their presence — it made tensions rise, having the police there. You could feel the atmosphere changing.”

Sarah’s name started trending very soon after she was found. Many photos sparked the internet from a photographer, named Hannah McKay, at the protest.  One of the pictures that went viral at the memorial that read, “She was just walking home.”

“She had every precaution, but it still wasn’t enough,” Burkart said. “She was still kidnapped and killed that night.”

Many women spoke up to defend Sarah in her death and for other women and their own stories. 

“We are looking at a situation where younger women are constantly modifying their behavior in an attempt to avoid being objectified or attacked, and older women are reporting serious concerns about personal safety if they ever leave the house in the dark – even during the daytime in winter,” executive director of UN Women UK, Claire Barnett said.

Women are constantly changing their mannerisms, clothes, and even more to feel safe. 

“As women, we should feel safe walking home because we should have the same sense of security as men,” Ellianna Holland (12) said. “It is injustice. But we don’t feel safe walking home because some people see women as vulnerable and not as educated.”