Letter by Women’s Aid.
Dear Commissioner
We are writing in solidarity with and support of Selma Taha, CEO of Southall Black Sisters, following the sickening racist abuse she experienced on the 29th September 2023.
We are horrified at this vile racist attack and disgusted that one of our colleagues was subject to this hatred. It is deplorable that a Metropolitan Police Officer stood by and failed to de-escalate the situation, intervene and do their duty.
We are writing to you in our full support of Southall Black Sister’s call for accountability, and to demand appropriate action is taken with regards to the attacker and the police officer. We continue to see a chasm between the Met’s commitments to culture change and the institutional racism and misogyny which continue to undermine safety and justice for Black and minoritised women.
We look forward to hearing from you as to how you will address this chasm.
Yours sincerely,
Farah Nazeer, CEO, Women’s Aid Federation of England
Andrea Simon, Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition
Harriet Wistrich, Solicitor and Director, Centre for Women’s Justice
Sue Coleman, CEO, West Mercia Women’s Aid
Paula Nolan, CEO, Liverpool Domestic Abuse Service
Elaine Langshaw, CEO, Newcastle Women’s Aid
Shaminder Ubhi, Director, Ashiana Network
Sara Britnell, CEO, Wycombe Women’s Aid
Vicky Bunnage, CEO, Crossroads Derbyshire
Ursula Lindenberg, CEO, VOICES
Hayley Brewer, Manager, Independent Choices Greater Manchester
Shigufta Khan, CEO, The Wish Centre
Jo Gough, CEO, RISE
Yasmin Khan, Director, The Halo Project
Rebecca Radcliffe, Director, South Liverpool Domestic Abuse Services
Surwat Sohail, CEO, Roshni
Sawsan Salim, Director, Kurdish and Middle Eastern Women’s Organisation (KMEWO)
Jan Tasker, Co-CEO, Collaborative Women UK
Aneta Mackell, CEO, Opoka,
Hannah Ashford, CEO, North Devon Against Domestic Abuse (NDADA)
Valerie Lolomari, CEO, Women of Grace UK
Saskia Lightburn-Ritchie, CEO, MyCWA
Sarah Dagley, CEO, NIDAS
Nik Peasgood, CEO, Leeds Women’s Aid
Sarah Hill, CEO, IDAS
Yasmin Khan, CEO, Staying Put
Suzanne Jacob, CEO, SafeLives
Elaine Yates, CEO, Coventry Haven
Nicky Harkin and Jodie Woodward, Co-Chairs, Rape Crisis England & Wales
Colette Byrne, CEO, Broxtowe Women’s Project
Kathryn Hinchliff, CEO, Pennine Domestic Abuse Partnership
Constanze Sen, CEO, Bromley & Croydon Women’s Aid
Claire Johnson, CEO, Bexley Women’s Aid
Mary Wakeham, CEO, Refuge4Pets
Heidi Riedel, CEO, Woman’s Trust
Caroline Phansi, CEO, Contento Social Homes
Shonagh Dillon, CEO, Aurora New Dawn
Charlotte Kneer, CEO, I Choose Freedom
Anna Walsh, CEO, CHADD
Carey Philpott, CEO, SATEDA
Richinda Taylor, CEO. EVA Women’s Aid
Beverley Jones, Chief Executive, Next Chapter
Souad Talsi, Interim CEO, Al-Hasaniya Morroccan Women’s Project,
Hollie Venn, Chief Executive, Sheffield Women’s Aid
Denise March-Palmer, Interim CEO, Stepping Stones Luton
Tori O’Callaghan-Lake, CEO, Springfield Domestic Abuse Support Service
Donna Cullimore, CEO, Finding freedom from abuse
Angie Herrera, Director, Latin American Women’s Aid
Niki Scordi, Chief Executive, Advance
Samantha Fisher, CEO, Trafford Domestic Abuse Services
Sharon Howard, CEO, Safe in Sussex
Salma Ali, Manager, Preston Domestic Violence Services
Priya Chopra, Chief Executive, Saheli
Mandy Green, Head of Services, Nottinghamshire Women’s Aid
Gaby Price, CEO, Women’s Aid in Luton
Angie Stewart, CEO, Cambridge Women’s Aid
Charlotte Almond, Chief Executive, Staffordshire Women’s Aid
Gail Heath, CEO, Pankhurst Trust and Manchester Women’s Aid
Debbie Hughes, Chief Executive, Living Without Abuse
Claire Lambon, CEO, Stop Domestic Abuse
Sophie McGoff, CEO, Women’s Aid Leicestershire
Hannah Ashford, CEO, North Devon Against Domestic Abuse
Maureen Connolly, CEO, Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid
Fran Ellis, CEO, Rising Sun Kent
Sue Burke, CEO, MK-Act Domestic Abuse Intervention Services
Sahdaish Pall, CEO, Sikh Women’s Aid Nicola Miller, Chief Executive, The Dash Charity,
Jodie Woodward, Chief Executive, NIA
Gisela Valle, Executive Director, Latin American Women’s Rights Service
Estelle du Boulay, Director, Rights of Women
Jasmine Mohammad, Director, Safety4Sisters
Gurpreet Virdee, CEO, Women and Girls Network
Diana Nammi, Executive Director, IKWRO
Leni Morris, CEO, Galop
Medina Johnson, Chief Executive, IRISi
Dhriti Suresh Eapen, Senior Project Manager, AVA
Jo Todd, CEO, Respect
Suky Bhaker, CEO, Suzy Lamplugh Trust
Janet Dalrymple, CEO, Safer Places
Nahar Choudhury, CEO, Solace
Tania Woodgate, CEO, Changing Pathways
Elizabeth Matthews, CEO, West Cornwall Women’s Aid
Jatinder Chana, CEO, Asha Projects
Ellen Miller, CEO, Refuge
Stephanie Grimshaw, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Welsh Women’s Aid
Leyla Buran, Campaigns & Policy Manager, White Ribbon UK
Natasha Rattu, Executive Director, Karma Nirvana
Kyla Kirkpatrick, Director, The Drive Partnership
Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, CEO, Surviving Economic Abuse
Karen Hague, CEO, Vida Sheffield
Ruth Davany, CEO, Behind Closed Doors
Caroline Grant, CEO, The First Step
Cath Jago, CEO, South West Surrey Domestic Abuse Service
Monica Tuohy, Interim CEO, Jewish Women’s Aid
Alix Simpson, CEO, Berkshire Women’s Aid