
An epidemic of misogynistic violence has caused alarm amongst women in the UK, as the death toll for women killed in gender-based violence rises to three.
The murder and death of a 35-year-old woman, who was beaten to death in a street in Ilford, East London, marked the third death of a female in the South and South-East area of London by a male perpetrator.
A man has been charged with the murder of Zara Aleena in the Ilford area of East London.
Jordan McSweeney, 29, was remanded into custody and has been charged with the murder and attempted rape and robbery of the law graduate, the Metropolitan Police has said.
He will remain in custody and appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court later today.
The death of Redbridge’s residence, Zara Aleena, is what police have described as a “horrific assault” close to her home, which detectives believe was carried out by a stranger as she walked in Ilford, East London.
It doesn’t seem that long ago since we all heard the shocking news of the killing of Sabina Nessa in South-East London last year, and Sarah Everard who was abducted and killed in South London in March last year.
According to the 2020 report by the Femicide Census, on average, one woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK.
The reports revealed that in 2020 alone, 110 women were killed by men, with 45% of the killings being described as “overkill”, defined as the use of excessive, gratuitous violence beyond that necessary to cause the victim’s death.
Scotland Yard revealed that Zara was walking along Cranbrook Road towards Gants Hill Tube station at around 2.44 am on Sunday when she was attacked and killed by a stranger.
On Monday the Metropolitan police said a 29-year-old man had been arrested in the Ilford area on suspicion of murder.
In a statement on the case, Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, the senior officer responsible for policing in the East Area BCU which includes Ilford, said:
“I understand that for women, particularly locally, this is an incredibly distressing incident, and I urge you to be alert but not alarmed.
“Women should not have to change their behaviour and should be able to go about their business feeling safe any time of day or night and it is our job to ensure that happens”.
Ch Supt Bell also added “Tackling violence against women and girls is an absolute priority for the Met. Every day our officers are working with partners across the capital to improve safety in our public spaces.
“Women should not have to change their behaviour and should be able to go about their business, feeling safe, any time of day or night. It’s our job to ensure that happens, but officers cannot be always in all places”.
The 35-year-old law graduate’s friends spoke to the BBC commenting “She was the nicest person you could ever meet, always positive. She lit up the whole room” says Sophie.
While another friend said: “She didn’t have a bad bone in her. She was kind, she was loving, she was – like all her friends and family said – a lifeline for her grandma and her mum,” Jasmin Hossein told the BBC.
In a statement, her family said “Zara believed that a woman should be able to walk home”.
Ms Aleenas’s family, described their loss as “irreparable” and also added, “We must prevent and stop violence against women and girls”.
The death of Zara has once again brought to the forefront the discussion about the safety of women, but also the varying opinions on why some feel women shouldn’t have put themselves at risk being out so late, while others say, women should not have to change their behaviour and should be able to go about their business, feeling safe, at any time of the day or night.

Raising concerns on the matter she is most passionate about, Asian Sunday spoke to Karen Ingala Smith, the CEO of Nia, a London-based domestic and sexual violence charity working to end violence against women and girls.
“In 2012, I started an awareness-raising campaign called Counting Dead Women to highlight and commemorate the number of women killed by men in the UK and in 2015, myself and Clarrie O’Callaghan launched The Femicide Census”.
Smith says “At least 52 women in the UK have been killed by men this year, in reality, the figure will be higher, these are just the cases I’ve been able to trace in the media.
“Meanwhile, the government’s national strategy to tackle men’s violence against women and girls doesn’t even identify fatal violence as one of the harms which must be addressed, and police forces repeatedly refer to men’s fatal violence as isolated incidents”.
The death of Zara Aleena occurred approximately seven minutes away from Onjali Rauf, the founder of a UK charity Making Her Story, which works to end the abuse, enslavement and trafficking of women and girls in the UK and beyond, expressed her grievance online.
Onjali Rauf wrote “Again. She was on her way home. Again. A violent man deemed her life and body his for the taking. Again. For how many more women are we going to have to write out these words before everyone gets it?”.
What the UK police force and government have failed to provide women, the organisation is known as the Bright Initiative, is partnering up with the influential Women in Data network to develop recommendations to better utilise data in tackling violence against women and girls
The global programme and organisation by Bright Data, is using public web data to drive positive change and is embarking upon a major new programme of work that will help use the power of data to tackle violence against women and girls.
Keren Pakes, General Manager of Bright Initiative by Bright Data said:
“The fact that women and girls continue to live in fear is shocking, particularly when there is so much that data can do to identify potential threats and enhance protective measures.
“As the UK Government pushes forward with its Data Reform Bill and the wider NDS it is a real moment of opportunity to make a change, so we’re honoured to have the opportunity to work with Women in Data to chart a way forward.”
No matter what time they are coming home or going out, women should feel safe and protected. Join in the conversation with #ZaraAleena.