Enough is enough: Kettering to march against domestic abuse

"Awareness, prevention and culture change - that’s what we need and we need it now."

That's the message from campaigners ahead of a protest against domestic abuse in Kettering this weekend.

Men and women will make their voices heard as they march through the town on Saturday (March 12) as part of 'No More Week', which aims to raise awareness to end domestic abuse and sexual violence across the UK.

Over the past year many have been assaulted by someone they once loved in Kettering, and two have been killed. Cllr Emily Fedorowycz (Green, Clover Hill), said enough is enough.

She said: "In the UK between April 2016 to March 2019, a total of 222 women were killed by a partner or ex-partner. That’s an average of three women every fortnight.

"This is a hidden pandemic and we need to expose it for what it is.

"Awareness, prevention, and culture change - that’s what we need, and we need it now."

This week's event comes after a rally for women's safety was held last year in response to the deaths of Maddie Durdant-Hollamby and Marta Chmielecka.

Maddie was believed to have been murdered by her boyfriend Ben Green in August, who then turned the knife on himself and died at his Slate Drive home.

Marta was fatally stabbed by her ex-husband Pawel Chmielecki in October, who also stabbed himself in Wood Street but survived. Last week he pleaded guilty to murder and now faces life in prison.

Today (Tuesday) is International Women's Day, a day previously marked by Labour MP Jess Phillips by reading out the names of every woman killed in the UK where a man has been convicted or charged as the primary perpetrator.

In 2020 she read out the name Marion Price, who was shot dead by her controlling, jealous ex-husband Michael Reader outside her Earls Barton home in 2019.

Her son-in-law, Cllr Scott Brown (Con, Earls Barton), is now North Northamptonshire Council's representative on the Northamptonshire Domestic Violence Forum.

He has been speaking to the county's Sunflower Centre and Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service about the issues they are facing, and said he's been lobbying Cllr Helen Harrison (the council's executive member for adults, health and wellbeing) to give them five-year funding contracts with an annual break clause rather than single-year settlements.

He said he is under no illusion that services related to domestic abuse need more money, but that more needs to be done to make friends and family aware of the signs of domestic abuse.

He said: "When we went through the court case it felt like we all had a piece of the jigsaw and we never put it together.

"I think there needs to be a bigger awareness of all the signs of domestic abuse, not just for victims but for their friends and family.

"I don't think there's enough out there at the minute."

Cllr Brown said there's lots of sexism and misogny between young men which can spiral out of control. He wants to see more lessons at school focusing on educating young men to address domestic violence - and says we can all play our part in calling it out.

He said: "I would like to see a focus on funding in the earlier years.

"What might be seen as a bit of banter or a joke by person A, when it's actually casual male misogyny, will be seen differently by person B.

"And if you don't call it out you're giving a green light to someone who thinks it's appropriate."

Cllr Brown spoke to the Northants Telegraph after Marta's killer pleaded guilty last week.

She, just like Marion, had broken free from an abusive relationship only to have her life cut short at her ex-husband's hands.

Cllr Brown said: "My mind always goes back to the family and friends who are left behind. I felt guilty when it (Marion's death) happened, paralysed by feelings of guilt.

"I sat there thinking 'what could I have done?' and go back to conversations with Mike Reader, thinking did I do enough to call him out.

"When I see cases like this I just feel for the family and know how upsetting it is and how you can beat yourself up.

"A lot of people can go down a bit of a rabbit hole but you have to remember - you did not do this and you are not responsible."

The march on Saturday starts at the Rockingham Road Pleasure Park in Park Road at 6pm and will end at the Market Place, where there will be guest speakers.

People have been urged to bring placards, banners and a candle or torch for a candlelit vigil at the end.