The family of a woman murdered by her abusive husband are backing a campaign to ensure justice for women who die after being pushed from a height.
In September 2021, Fawziyah Javed, 31, was pushed off Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, and she and her pregnant child perished.
After a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh last year, Kashif Anwar, 29, of Leeds, was found guilty of the murder. He was handed a life sentence and mandated to serve at least 20 years in prison.
The organisation Killed Women, which is advocating for significant change in an effort to identify and stop the “hidden homicides” of women who are forced to commit suicide, has now received backing from Ms. Javed’s family.
It falls on the same day as the Channel 4 documentary The Push, which focuses on the situation of Ms. Javed, a resident of Leeds’ Pudsey neighbourhood.
Yasmin, the mother of Ms. Javed and a member of the Killed Women network, stated: “If we don’t make sure the cases of so-called fallen women are thoroughly investigated by authorities, domestic abusers will continue to get away with murder.”
“We need a system that gives these ladies justice.
“The loss of our beloved Fawziyah will never be fully healed by the conviction, but we are fighting to make sure that everyone who kills women in this manner is held accountable.”
According to criminologist Professor Jane Monckton Smith, there are an estimated 130 victims killed annually in England and Wales, most of them are women, whose killings go unreported and unpunished as homicides.
Killed Women made a request for freedom of information to all 44 police departments in the United Kingdom in order to ascertain the number of cases involving women falling from heights between 1973 and 2023.
According to the report, 42 forces either could not give the data or could not access it because of the time and expense involved.
The campaign group added that Humberside gave data between 2017 and 2023, indicating there were seven incidents, while Police Scotland did react, stating there had been ten homicides involving women falling from height.
The Killed Women’s Fallen Women campaign demands that police investigate all women who have died after falling from a height to see whether there may have been evidence of domestic abuse.
The group claimed that domestic abuse should be the first line of investigation for police in all cases involving falls from heights, and they want formal data collecting to track the number of women who die after falling each year.
Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, Nicole Jacobs, stated: “I firmly believe that the Fallen Women campaign will bring attention to this neglected problem.
In order to connect the dots and fully comprehend the larger context of these murders, police, forensic experts, and the legal system as a whole must take the time to learn about any history of domestic abuse.
The grieving relatives of women killed by men are the leaders of the advocacy group Killed Women.
Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, the lead for domestic abuse on the National Police Chiefs’ Council, stated: “Every death resulting from domestic abuse is a tragic and horrific loss. Policing must prioritise addressing violence against women and girls.”
“Police will be familiar with a lot of domestic abusers, and if someone has been killed and there is a history of abuse or if there are any questionable circumstances, this will be thoroughly investigated.”
“Coroner’s inquests into unexpected deaths will also be conducted, during which the circumstances surrounding the death will be investigated in an effort to determine whether it could have been avoided.
In order to better understand the realities of women who suffer abuse at the hands of their partners, we have worked to enhance our annual national danger picture on violence against women and girls.
As part of our continuous efforts to enhance our overall response, we have also started collaborating with academics to investigate every homicide in which there has been a history of domestic abuse.
We do agree, though, that more has to be done by law enforcement to successfully track down and identify known abusers and stop additional harm.
“We are committed to working with the Killed Women network and everyone else in the sector to collectively improve services to victims. We are grateful for our recent discussions to identify improvements and progress.”
“Tackling domestic abuse is a priority for Police Scotland, and we are committed to working with our partners to reduce the harm it causes and ultimately eradicate it,” a spokeswoman for the agency stated.
“All reports are taken seriously and will be thoroughly investigated.
“Police Scotland’s Violence against Women and Girls Strategy demonstrates our commitment to tackling the violence and abuse that disproportionately affects women and girls.”
The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners declined to comment.
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