Trigger Warning: Themes of Domestic Violence, Gendered Violence and Murder. 

We, the Greenwich Students’ Union Officer Team 2021/22, are shocked and deeply saddened by the news of Sabina Nessa’s death. Sabina, who graduated from the University of Greenwich in 2014, is thought to have been murdered last weekend on a five-minute walk to meet a friend. Her tragic case once again highlights that London’s streets are dangerous places for women, especially for women of colour. We wholeheartedly agree with ‘Reclaim These Streets’ in saying that public spaces should be safe for all women regardless of what we wear, where we walk or what time of day or night it is.  

To pay our respects, we are holding a candlelight vigil at 7.30pm on the Avery Hill Campus tomorrow (Friday 24th September). Please join us if you can or light a candle at home if you can’t, to commemorate Sabina’s life and raise awareness about gendered violence and the lack of safety for women and girls on our streets.  

We are reminding everyone that at the University of Greenwich and Greenwich Students’ Union (GSU), violence of any case is strictly not tolerated in our campus spaces. We recognise that you may feel angry, anxious, or scared at this time.  

Whilst it is the responsibility of the government to increase the safety of women through our city, and blame should be on the perpetrators and not the victim of crime, we remind everyone of our guidance to personal safety, which you can find here: greenwichsu.co.uk/news/article/6001/Stay-safe-University-of-Greenwich-guidance   

Should an incident occur please report this to the police immediately. If an incident occurs on campus, you should contact security. We support the use of the app SafeZone on our campuses, which you can download from your usual app store. If you live in halls of residence, we also encourage you to keep the numbers for the Resident Assistants (RAs) and hall security in your phone. Finally, we recommend keeping campus-specific emergency contact details in your phone, which are available on the Staying safe on and off campus article.   

If you have any concerns or need support regarding anything mentioned in this article, you can contact:  

• University Student Wellbeing Service - gre.ac.uk/student-services/support/student-wellbeing  

• GSU Advice Service – greenwichsu.co.uk/advice  

• Samaritans – available 24 hours a day. 116 123 / samaritans.org  

• Women’s Resource Centre - wrc.org.uk  

• Medway Specific Support - www.mhm.org.uk/kent-safe-havens  

Your GSU Officers 2021/22 – Nele, Zoë, Aatika, Jabed  

Information about the event can be reshared and found here: greenwichsu.co.uk/ents/event/7674/