Camilla condemns how society has come to believe 'violence against women is normal'
The Duchess of Cornwall has condemned the way society has come to believe that "violence against women is normal", asking: "How many more women must be harassed, raped or murdered?"
In the most powerful speech of her royal life Camilla spoke of her sympathy for the families of Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa and other victims, and the "unimaginable torment" the women had suffered.
She made the comments at an event hosted by Women of the World (WOW) at the Wellcome Collection in London, where she was also joined by Carrie Johnson, the prime minister's wife.
Launching WOW's Shameless festival, encouraging activism against sexual violence, which takes place in London next month, Camilla said: "We need to get the men in our lives involved in this movement.
"We do not, in any way, hold all men responsible for sexual violence. But we do need them all on board to tackle it. After all, rapists are not born, they are constructed.
"And it takes an entire community - male and female - to dismantle the lies, words and actions that foster a culture in which sexual assault is seen as normal, and in which it shames the victim.
"So let us all leave here today and try and get the men in our lives to participate in building a 'shameless' society. Because how many more women must be harassed, raped or murdered before we truly unite to forge a violence-free world?"
The first royal to talk in detail about the high profile deaths of women in recent months, she said: "This country has been appalled and saddened by the loss of women to violence this year.
"On average, one woman is killed by a man every three days. Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa, Wenjing Lin, Geetika Goyal and Bennylyn Burke are names which, with all the others, must never be forgotten.
"Each one of these women endured unimaginable torment - and their loved ones who are left behind continue to suffer in the wake of their deaths."
Royal aides said the duchess had personally invited Carrie Johnson to the reception because of her own commitment to campaigning on the issue of sexual violence.
Three years ago she bravely waived her right to anonymity to reveal that she had been a victim of 'black cab rapist' John Worboys, thought to be Britain's most prolific sex attacker.
She described how she was a 19-year-old student when she was offered a lift in 2007 by the rapist. She believes her drink was spiked as she remembers very little else, and was among 14 women who gave evidence against Worboys in 2009.
Highlighting the impact of sexual violence against women through rape and domestic violence has been a key focus of Camilla's work for a number of years, but a previous sense of caution or nervousness about giving voice to her concerns appears to have been replaced by a greater sense of determination to speak out against the shame felt by victims and survivors.
U.K. women boycotting clubs, pubs amid reports of drink spiking, needle injections
'Girls Night In' accounts on social media gather thousands of followers
Young women across the U.K. are boycotting nightclubs and pubs Wednesday as university towns and cities join in a national "girls night in" protest after increasing reports of drink spiking and students being drugged by needle injections.
The online campaign, which has gained momentum in university cities including Bristol, Brighton and Nottingham, wants to raise awareness about women's safety and demand more urgent action by the government and nightclubs to prevent "date rape" drugs from being brought into clubs.
"Girls Night In" accounts organizing boycotts in British cities this week have gathered thousands of followers on social media.
The protests came after a sharp rise in recent months of reports of drink spiking and needle "spiking" — where women report being injected with drugs in the back or in the leg at nightclubs — as students return to campuses after a long spell away due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The National Police Chiefs' Council said there have been 198 confirmed reports of drink spiking in September and October across the U.K., and 24 reports of people being injected while on nights out.
Police in Nottingham, central England, said last week that extra officers were being put on patrol on the weekends to ensure people could enjoy a safe night out.
The force said that since Oct. 2, 14 women and a man have alleged being spiked "by something sharp, as opposed to a traditional method of contaminated alcoholic drinks."
PHOTOSHundreds mourn slain London teacher Sabina Nessa at vigil, denounce violence against women
Student Zara Owen, 19, told the BBC that she blacked out soon after arriving with friends at a nightclub in the city earlier this month.
She said she had no recollection of what happened that night, but woke up with a pain in her leg before she discovered a pin prick.
zara owen on Instagram: “so incredibly honoured and humbled to have been able to have the opportunity to appear on @bbcbreakfast this morning where i spoke about…”
In Brighton, the southern England seaside city, detectives said they were investigating six reports of women being injected during the past week.
Police were carrying out unannounced checks through the night, and all reports were being taken "incredibly seriously," said Chief Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw, commander for Brighton and Hove.
Anyone who believed they may have been a victim of spiking should let police or bar staff know immediately so they could be tested for potential drugs before their effects wane, he added.
Organizers of the boycott said on Instagram that "spiking has become an epidemic."
"Never before have we heard of so many students waking up with no memory of what had happened the night before," read the message. "This is not getting `black-out drunk,' this is getting drugged and is something that can be changed."
How to prevent drugged drinks? Mandatory training for bar staff deemed necessary
On Wednesday, a 29-year-old man appeared in court in the city of Manchester charged with rape after a woman reported that her drink had been spiked during a night out in September.
An online petition calling for nightclubs to be required to thoroughly search people on entry has garnered almost 170,000 signatures.
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