Sarah Everard: Women take to social media to express anger over 33-year-old's disappearance

  • Video report by ITV News Correspondent Chloe Keedy

A serving Metropolitan Police officer is in custody as human remains were found in the search for 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who vanished last week.

The officer, who is in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, was held on Tuesday night on suspicion of kidnap before being further arrested the following day on suspicion of murder and a separate allegation of indecent exposure.

The events have prompted an outpouring of shock and anger on social media as women across the country share their experiences of feeling unsafe.

#ReclaimTheseStreets began trending on Thursday after it was announced a vigil of the same name will take place at south London's Clapham Common, where Ms Everard is thought to have walked on the night of her disappearance.

One of the organisers, 23-year-old Caitlin Prowle, said she is “tired of being afraid” to walk around the streets where she lives.

#CurfewForMen has also been trending, following a suggestion by Green Party peer Baroness Jones that a 6pm curfew should be imposed on men.

In response to media reports that the Met Police had warned women near Clapham Common not go out at night, she told the House of Lords that the curfew would make women feel "a lot safer".

The hashtag #NotAllMen has also been popular - Twitter have been clashing over suggestions that not all men should be held responsible for women feeling unsafe.

"It’s true that #notallmen harm women," actor, activist and presenter Jameela Jamil wrote.

"But do all men work to make sure their fellow men do not harm women?"

Many women also pointed out that campaigns for the increased safety of women have existed for decades, yet the problem still persists.

"In the 1970s and 1980s we marched to #ReclaimTheNight... yet here we still are. In 2021," bestselling author Kate Mosse tweeted.

Women have also been sharing individual anecdotes of walking on the UK's streets. Common safety strategies have included gripping keys between fingers, wearing trainers and carefully pre-planning routes.

ITV News presenter Julie Etchingham wrote: "Chilling to read experiences in the wake of Sarah Everard’s terrible death.

"Keys in hands, planning safe routes, shoes you can run in, talking loudly on phone - I’ve done all of this. It’s the sheer brain-space this vigilance takes. Imagine what it would be like to be free of it."

Meanwhile, on Thursday, MPs listened in silence as Labour’s Jess Phillips read out the names of women killed in the UK where a man has been convicted or charged as the primary perpetrator.

Afterwards, Ms Phillips said people had “prayed that the name of Sarah Everard would never be on any list”, and she urged everyone to work to ensure “nobody’s name ends up on this list again”.

MP Zara Sultana also spoke about Ms Everard's disappearance, choosing to make a stand against "victim-blaming".

"I request the Leader of the House that we, as parliamentarians, make it clear that the emphasis must be tackling violence against women and girls and the norms that too often sustain it," she said.

On Thursday evening, Ms Everard's family paid tribute to their "beautiful daughter and sister" and urged anyone with information to help police with their investigation.

In the statement, they said: “Sarah was bright and beautiful - a wonderful daughter and sister. She was kind and thoughtful, caring and dependable. She always put others first and had the most amazing sense of humour.