Three years ago, my niece, Zara Aleena, was murdered on her way home from a night out in east London by a high-risk offender who should have been in prison.
Her brutal murder could have been prevented were it not for the failures of police, prison and probation services that resulted in the catastrophic early release of a man whose risk to the public was inaccurately assessed.
Since then, alongside the families of other murdered women, I have campaigned against the violence perpetrated against women and girls, against the systems that fail women and girls – and against a culture that tolerates this violence.
It is not often that families like ours are invited into the heart of government, but a week ago we were invited to No 10, bringing with us the grief of our families and the hope that no other family would have to endure what we have.
I stood alongside Jebina Islam, the sister of Sabina Nessa (a murdered woman), and Ayse Hussein, cousin of Jan Mustafa (a murdered woman), all of us having been invited by the prime minister to meet face to face – not as campaigners, but as women carrying the lived reality of loss – and with the determination to turn that loss into change.
This crucial meeting with the prime minister came just a week after a vigil for Zara, which was attended by the minister for victims and violence against women and girls, Alex Davies-Jones, and the health secretary Wes Streeting.
It was a significant moment. When we stand together, we are no longer alone in our grief – we are together in our protest, in our call for change. Walking beside us, they joined our families and our community in protest and highlighted a leadership that is willing to stand in the hard places and face what we are not yet getting right.
Our meeting with Keir Starmer further underscored the government’s recognition of the issue.
Davies-Jones and Claire Waxman, the London Victims’ Commissioner, joined us in the room. Together, we spoke openly about the pain relatives endure when perpetrators refuse to face sentencing – a cruel injustice that leaves victims’ families with yet another absence, another silence, another failure of accountability.
The prime minister listened. He was calm, reflective, and open. He did not rush us. What was scheduled as a 30-minute meeting stretched to a full hour. And in that hour, we saw not a polished influencer or a soundbite politician, but a leader who is willing to hear hard truths and to build change.
We spoke about the Victims and Courts Bill, a critical step forward in compelling offenders to face the courts and the people they’ve harmed, and Starmer invited us to attend the bill’s third reading – the final stage of the legislative process, and one we hope will symbolise the shift towards centring victims in the justice system.
But beyond what is already happening, I asked for what we still need. I asked for the government’s commitment to halve violence against women and girls within 10 years to be made a cross-party mission, so it lasts beyond elections and outlives political cycles. The prime minister agreed.
I asked for the government’s commitment to make tackling violence against women and girls a responsibility that is shared across every government department, not just the Home Office, because safety must be woven into the fabric of government itself. He told us that work to embed this is already underway.
I also presented my proposal for a Good Samaritan law – a law that would create a duty to assist or report when someone is in danger. Similar laws already exist in Germany, Portugal and France. The idea is simple: if someone is in serious danger and you can safely help or call for help, you should. The prime minister agreed to consider the proposal and invited me to return in six months to discuss progress on everything we discussed.
Since Zara’s death, I have met with several ministers who have shared with me their condolences and their sorrow – and it was heartfelt – but this meeting stood out. It gives us all reason for hope.
Hope because the prime minister spoke not of vague intentions, but of cultural change, where the voices of victims are no longer an afterthought but sit at the heart of justice. Hope because we no longer have to fight alone.
Of course, this government is by no means perfect. Serious cuts continue to compromise efforts to end violence against women and girls. Without proper investment, early intervention will remain an afterthought.
But last week, the families invited to Downing Street saw the potential for something different: a government willing to be held to account. A leader willing to listen.
It’s not shiny politics. There are no fast answers. But it is real leadership.
It is now on all of us to make sure these commitments turn into action. I look forward to returning to Downing Street to discuss progress – for Zara, for Sabina, for Jan – and for every woman and girl.
