Sistah Space

🕌 ✨ Eid Mubarak to all our Muslim friends! ✨ 🕌

An article written in The Metro highlights the way women of colour experiencing domestic violence are being uniquely failed by agencies meant to protect them. Data collected by Refuge shows Black women are less likely to be referred by police to specialist services than white women. The article mentions murdered women including Harshita Brella, Valerie Forde, and Banaz Mahmod who were all known to authorities before their deaths. Before for her death, Valerie Forde reported her ex partner for threatening to burn their house down. This was not recorded as a threat to life meaning no safety plan was drawn up. Sistah Space exists as a recognition of the reality that women of colour face when trying to seek help. We offer African and Caribbean heritage women a space where they will be believed and taken seriously. We continue to urge for the implementation of cultural competency training to move towards eradicating this disparity in treatment. Credits to Sharan Dhaliwal for writing this article. https://lnkd.in/eNR4WBRM

Carol Hunt, Hannah Hunt and Louise Hunt were murdered on 9 July 2024 by Louise's former partner. Carol Hunt was murdered by the perpetrator who used the ruse of returning Louise's belongings to access the house. He waited for Louise before raping and then murdering her with a crossbow. Finally, he murdered Hannah with the crossbow when she returned home. Today, he has been sentenced to a whole life order. Judge Mr Justice Bennathan described Clifford as “a jealous man soaked in self-pity - a man who holds women in utter contempt.” Violence against women is endemic in the UK. In England and Wales, approximately one woman is killed by a current or former partner every 5 days. A whole life order doesn’t come close to the sheer devastation he has wreaked on an entire family and the terror he put the women through in their final moments. Carol, Hannah, and Louise should be alive today. #VAWG #CarolHunt #HannahHunt #LouiseHunt

This year I decided to focus one of our Sludge Magazine International Women’s Day editorials on Sistah Space founded by Ngozi Fulani. For the last 10+ years the charity has been working to support women from African and Caribbean backgrounds affected by SA and DV. It was a great honour to photograph Rose Lewis and Savannah Fuller  from the team with exceptional make-up from Xoya Mir     Huge congrats to Cheyanne Bryan on an exceptional piece of writing and thanks to Naaila O. for working with me BTS to make this happen Full article: https://lnkd.in/e5YqYyNV

Black domestic violence sufferers are systemically underserved, we spoke to Sistah Space, the organisation working to change that. https://lnkd.in/ec2MTzw2

For International Women's Day, Sistah Space were interviewed by Sludge Magazine. Our Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) Savannah Fuller and Rose Lewis spoke about what it's like to work within the #VAWG sector and the hurdles they face in doing so. Thank you to Sludge Magazine for highlighting the work we do! Credits: Cheyanne Bryan (Article) Martyn Ewoma (Photography) Xoya Mir (Make Up) You can read the article here: https://lnkd.in/er86neDy

✨ Happy International Women's Day !✨ Ngozi Fulani founded Sistah Space in 2015, after the brutal murder of Valerie Forde and her daughter Real Jahzara by Valerie's former partner. This case showcased organisational failings when dealing with domestic abuse and provided insight into the unique way Black women are often failed by organisations meant to protect them. Sistah Space campaigned for Valerie's Law, to enforce mandatory cultural competency training for relevant agencies dealing with domestic abuse cases. The women at Sistah Space remain committed to supporting African and Caribbean heritage women impacted by domestic abuse and sexual violence. This International Women's Day, we'd like to highlight Valerie Forde, Real Jahzara and all women who have lost their lives due to domestic abuse. #InternationalWomensDay #SistahSpace #IWD #VAWG

Stephanie Marie was just 19 when she was murdered by her partner at Crawley train station. Stephanie had met the perpetrator when she was 14 and he was 21. Initially, he tried to claim Stephanie had stabbed herself and avoided accountability. Last week, he was found guilty of murder. Detective Superintendent Sam Blackburn described Stephanie as "a young woman with a whole life ahead of her to enjoy, but had it stolen away by a controlling and coercive partner". We are saddened to hear about the loss of a young woman to such a brutal act of violence. Our thoughts are with Stephanie's loved ones. #StephanieMarie #VAWG

Michelle Sparman died by suicide in August 2021, after attempting at the hospital she had been admitted to following an overdose. An inquest into her death last month revealed she was struggling mentally following the end of the relationship that had signs of emotional abuse. In November 2020, Michelle texted her sister her ex partner's messages "affect [her] so much for every day..." and that she "will end up killing [herself]" The lawyer representing her family said "The family's position is that she perceived that as abuse, and all the medical professionals we have heard from perceived that as abuse.' The inquest is to determine if and how Michelle died by suicide whilst on a mental health ward as well as if relevant agencies failed to protect her. The severity of this case again highlights the duty of care agencies have towards mentally vulnerable individuals and the devastating impact abusive behaviour has on victims. Our thoughts are with Michelle's loved ones. #MichelleSparman

I’m happy to share that I’ve been training for the 2025 TCS London Marathon Events to raise money for Sistah Space. It's a great organisation that helps support women from marginalised groups with their experiences of domestic abuse and/or sexual violence. I've included a link to my fundraiser which includes updates on different stages of my fitness journey and preparation for the marathon!