Wednesday, December 20, 2006

and what about the women?

The murders of 5 prostitutes in Suffolk, England have prompted an outcry from the public and of course the media are spewing out their best epithets (Suffolk Stranger, Ipswich Ripper etc). It is an absolutely crazy situation but it has got me thinking about a woman's safety. It was terrifying watching as the bodies piled up and tragically one of the women was pregnant when she was murdered. The maniac who is killing these women must be stopped - that is obvious. Yet what isn't so obvious to some people is the fact that because they were prostitutes, there is almost a false type of security from some women, believing that he or she is only targeting prostitutes. True, these women were drug addicts and became sex workers to support their addiction but we have to ask ourselves: do we as society let some people fade away because they made the wrong choices? I am in no way judging their families and friends who most likely tried so hard to claim their loved ones back. My question is to the general public -- when will we stop kidding ourselves that it only happens to other people?

These women are fallen angels, robbed of a second chance by some sociopath who will most likely show no remorse. It does raise interesting questions about prostitution and whether it should be legalised in the UK. I am no expert so I can only voice my opinions. Women as creatures are vulnerable anyway let alone walking the dark alleys at night, hoping to see multiple Queen's heads folded on banknotes in the early hours of the morning, after a night of empty sex. These women must be protected, not slammed for making the wrong choice.

The clock is ticking and the culprit is most likely basking the glory of being talked about. I hate that I am adding to it but I felt compelled to write about this which has been claimed as one of the worst serial killings in the UK for decades not to mention that they were all completed in less than a fortnight.

~A