The names of women killed often go unnoticed.
A detail missed out of memory, thought about only when in relation to the way they left the world, or the elephant in the room – not uttered, or even worse - spoke of, but as a lesson.
Earlier this year, MP Jess Phillips named all of the women killed by men in the UK in just a year.
118 names were called out to the House of Commons, following which a heavy silence fell as the whole country felt the magnitude of what was happening on its streets.
Jess’ speech encouraged women to share their own stories of harassment and violence and a shift was felt in society as the population realised something needed to change.
This, and the murder of Sarah Everard prompted an outcry and a vigil was held in her memory. People across the country left candles burning on their doorsteps in memory of her and others killed at the hands of male violence.
Change is on its way to happening it seems, with more people reporting their own experiences and Diana Johnson MP and Lisa Squire - whose own daughter Libby was killed in 2019 - campaigning for change, education and therapy for low level offenders.
But there is still a long way to go. The names of those women killed and the life they led is often forgotten about, with their killers getting most of the attention.
Their history is looked at, the life they led, what they did – sometimes in excruciating detail – but their victims’ names are merely a mention, a name tied with theirs forever, only remembered in the way they died.
Illustrator Henny Beaumont wants to challenge this and to remember those women as who they were – daughters, partners, sisters and friends who led their lives and changed the world long before they met their killers.
In her project, Disappearing Women, Henny is painting a portrait of every one of the 118 women killed at the hands of male violence.
The aim of the project, Henny says, is to honour those women and make them visible.
She said: “I started the project around the time Sarah Everard was murdered. It was that moment where we were all feeling angry about what had happened. It was near International Women’s Day and when Boris Johnson said he was going to put policemen into nightclubs despite so many of the women named knowing their murderers.
“There was an outcry and I remember seeing everyone posting about their experiences of things like carrying their keys between their knuckles and thinking, ‘That’s not just me but all women,’ and things like wearing hoodies and clothes to look like men.
“I also remember hearing about the murder of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman and hearing their mum speaking on the radio – it was just heartbreaking. At the time, there was very little media attention compared to what Sarah had.
“I heard someone speaking about when you lose someone who has been murdered and how they are always put up against their murderer and how horrifying that is. I thought what I was doing could be a tribute to them, and not have anything to do with their murder – a way to remember them and to put faces to the names we read.”
Henny began working with the Centre for Women’s Justice and The Femicide Census to highlight their work and to raise money to continue the project.
A target of £15,000 has been set and any excess will be split between the two charities for work they undertake in relation to highlighting awareness and challenging the epidemic of femicide.”
Henny said: “The project grew out of my sense of outrage for them [the 118 women]. I didn’t know who they were when Jess Phillips read their names out. I hadn’t really heard of any of them but I am aware of the harassment women have suffered – we all suffer. There’s still a sense of anger.”
Henny has already completed 80 of the portraits and still has another 38 left to do. She says for any of the women who there is not a picture available, she paints flowers as a tribute instead.
She says she has been contacted by members of the families of those who have been killed and has sent out copies to those who have requested them.
She has also used the portraits of Bibaa Heny and Nicole Smallman to advertise a vigil held in their memory in Wembley on Saturday, August 3.
Henny’s portraits have been called “tributes to a legacy” and she has been told they bring comfort and loved ones to life by family members.
She said: “I hope it becomes a record of them and that we see that they were people who all had lives. When I paint them I get a strong sense of their personality and a sense of that person and I try and capture that likeness.
"I hope it personalises them and is a way of honouring and remembering them. There have been families who have been incredibly pleased and say it makes them visible. I hope people see them and it resonates with them and they respond positively.”
You can donate to the Disappearing Women project here.
