Sister of Sabina Nessa calls for leaders to ‘step up’ following her murder
Jebina Yasmin Islam said there were still ‘not enough words’ to describe the pain of her sister’s death.
The sister of murdered school teacher Sabina Nessa has called on leaders to “step up” to make the streets of London safer for women.
Jebina Yasmin Islam said there were still “not enough words” to describe the pain of her sister’s death.
Ms Nessa was attacked as she walked through Cator Park in Kidbrooke, south-east London, on her way to meet a friend on September 17.
Ms Nessa’s family organised a celebration at the weekend to mark what would have been her 29th birthday.
Speaking to ITV news, Ms Islam said women should not have to be restricted by fear of walking home alone.
“Boris (Johnson) needs to do something, Sadiq Khan needs to implement something for us to feel safe to walk the streets alone,” she said.
“We shouldn’t be going home extra early just because we don’t feel safe.
“We are independent, we live in a country where we can walk alone but we can’t because of what’s happening, what happened to my sister, what has happened in the past.
“We need to make sure that this does not happen again and Boris, Sadiq Khan, they need to step up.”
Garage worker Koci Selamaj, 36, from Eastbourne, who is charged with Ms Nessa’s murder, is due to appear in court on December 16 for a plea hearing.
Describing the aftermath of her sister’s death, Ms Islam said: “You don’t feel like this would happen to you… there aren’t enough words to explain how much it’s hurting inside.
“It feels like we got the news yesterday.”
Shortly after the incident, almost 200 people gathered for a vigil in Eastbourne to honour the memory of Ms Nessa.
“We’re four sisters, we’re not three,” said Ms Islam.
“We’ll always be four sisters even though she’s not here.”
A spokesman for mayor of London Mr Khan said: “The mayor is devastated by the death of Sabina Nessa and strongly believes all women should have had every right to feel safe going about their lives.
“The heartbreaking murders we have seen in the capital must re-focus all of our minds on the unacceptable ways in which our society views and treats women.
“The mayor is clear that it’s not women who should have to change the way they live their lives, it’s men that need to change and that’s why we must root out these abhorrent behaviours.”
