Mural highlighting women's safety vandalised

A mural dedicated to women's safety from violence has been vandalised

A mural dedicated to women's protection from violence has been vandalised by graffiti and efforts to obscure the artwork's safety message, prompting disappointment from the public.

The vibrant piece in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, by local artist Rob Fenton, depicts a woman with her head held high wearing a t-shirt that says "women's safety is everyone's responsibility".

But black scrawls of foul language were added to the piece, plus the addition of "men's safety matters" under attempts to wipe out the original slogan.

The defacing of the mural, created in the wake of the deaths of two female victims of violence, was described by one passerby as shameful.

The mural, located in a town centre alleyway, was commissioned by Newcastle-under-Lyme Business Improvement District (BID) in March 2022 following the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa in London.

The BID secured £34,000 in funding from the borough council to roll out a number of initiatives to raise awareness of sexual harassment and violence towards women, with the mural launched under its Get Home Safe project.

National Police Chiefs’ Council figures state two million women a year are estimated to be victims of male violence, calling the issue a "national emergency".

Ben Adams, Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime said: “Reducing violence against women and girls – and the fear of violence – is a key priority for me, which is why my office secured funding from the Safety of Women at Night Fund for a range of initiatives to improve women’s safety and transform previously neglected and unwelcoming spaces.

"This mural is one of the projects delivered in Newcastle and other areas using the funding, and I am disappointed to see that the artwork, and its important message, has been vandalised.”

A passerby told BBC Radio Stoke the vandalism "wasn't fair at all".

A worker at a nearby charity added anti-social behaviour in the area was on the rise.

She said: "The artwork is brilliant, we were here when it was being done and it's great."