Content note: this article contains mentions of murder and discussion of women’s safety, blame and rape culture

Despite sparse media coverage of Irish primary school teacher Ashling Murphy’s death in the UK media, local vigils have been planned in memory of her life and in solidarity for women’s safety. For many, Murphy’s death serves as a stark reminder that no society has yet to find success in guaranteeing women’s safety in any sphere of life. From a student perspective as well, the impact that these deaths have on our generation is immeasurable.

Murder in broad daylight remains a constant risk, and the perpetual reminder that we are seemingly eternal targets for male violence suggests that very little has been achieved for women’s safety in the last few years, nonetheless the 21st century. Murphy’s death, tragically, follows two other high-profile murders that have received extensive press coverage: those of Sabina Nessa and Sarah Everard in England. It is frustrating that we now discuss these murders in relation to our news cycle, but the discourse generated by their deaths has brought many aspects of women’s safety to light. The fact that it took these particularly distressing incidents to reintroduce public consciousness is disillusioning in itself, and points to the emotional fatigue that can be caused by debates about women’s safety.

“There is a sense that we constantly need to reiterate that women are not at fault when they are attacked or killed”

The distress evoked by Murphy’s death is exacerbated by its circumstances; the attack taking place in the afternoon and whilst she was exercising. But these blame-oriented narratives that reference clothing, time of day, or sensibility are not acceptable for valid explanation and reasoning behind an attack. Discussion on social media regarding Murphy’s tragic death instigated a trend in the phrase “she was on a run”, aiming to highlight how women are at risk performing even the most basic activities or tasks. Yet even within these grim and shocking reminders, there is a sense that we constantly need to reiterate that women are not at fault when they are attacked or killed. These victims are blameless, and whatever they were doing at the time of attack should have no bearing on our discourse around their deaths.

Discussion certainly serves as a grave reminder for the severity of the issue, but unfortunately contributes to a dispassionate “blaming culture” which constantly places an unnecessary weight of responsibility on victims. As women, our vulnerability does not come from putting ourselves in compromising situations, but rather the fact that men continue to exploit the vulnerability that male violence, rape culture, and blaming culture perpetuates, as Olivia Petter points out.

“Even as women develop strategies to mitigate threats to their safety, men continue to find disturbing new ways to secure our vulnerability”

Young women, as well, remain the most judged by blaming culture, especially within the student lifestyle found in the UK and Ireland. We see time and time again how young women that are assaulted or killed whilst intoxicated are dismissed as irresponsible, and in the most severe cases of judgement, deserving. However, whilst we’re constantly being reminded not to ‘put ourselves at risk’, the party culture associated with the university environment continues to exert an unavoidable pressure, creating a paradox which seems impossible to navigate.

An alarming increase of spiking incidents in Cambridge alone has been well-covered by student publications and mainstream media alike, and by the same token as other safety concerns for women, action and precaution falls on individual victims with no sincere and effective attempts at systemic change. The evolution of spiking from drink-tampering to injections further illustrates that, even as women develop strategies to mitigate threats to their safety, men continue to find disturbing new ways to secure our vulnerability. Perpetrators of violence against women, exploiting society’s ingrained misogyny, seem always one step ahead.

Acknowledging this is distressing. So far laws and other institutional safety mechanisms in the UK and Ireland have failed to de-escalate and prevent violence against women – in fact, gaps in the law and its enforcement have allowed men to exploit women for perverse entertainment beyond even their deaths. For as long as young women are not taken seriously, listened to, and believed, progress cannot happen, and a change to women’s overall safety cannot be achieved. All spaces need to be safe spaces, and channels for women to discuss and protect their freedoms should be amplified and not silenced under the guise of victim-blaming sensibility and responsibility.