Davina McCall Under Fire For Her Comments In The Fallout From The Sarah Everard Case

Many Twitter users are upset with Davina's comments.

Davina McCall Twitter

by Rhiannon Evans |
Updated on

Davina McCall is facing a social media backlash after posting a Tweet in the wake of the discussion following the disappearance of Sarah Everard.

Social media, and particularlyTwitter, has been filled with women in recent days devastated by Sarah's disappearance. But many women have also been sharing their own experiences of assault, harassment and sexual attacks, the police treatment of such cases and what can be done, as a wider movement has begun to form.

Taking to Twitter this morning, Davina tweeted: 'Female abduction / murder is extremely rare. Yes we should all be vigilant when out alone. But this level of fear-mongering isn’t healthy. And men’s mental health is an issue as well. Calling all men out as dangerous is bad for our sons, brothers, partners.'

While some users 'liked' her post, many Twitter users were angered by the comments.

Her comments about the 'rarity' of abduction and murder echo those of Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick, who had said: 'It is thankfully incredibly rare for a woman to be abducted from our streets.' However, acknowledging the wider debate, she added: 'But I completely understand that despite this, women in London and the wider public – particularly those in the area where Sarah went missing – will be worried and may well be feeling scared.'

The announcement that there had been an arrest in Sarah's case came a day after it was reported 97 per cent of women had been sexually harassed - leading many to point out that while women could acknowledge the 'rarity' of abduction statistics, the conversation around sexual harassment was still pressing and important.

Many have also taken issue with Davina's point that 'abduction/murder' is rare, when various reports have said three women a week were killed because of domestic abuse in lockdown.

Finally, many have been concerned about the idea of 'centring' the male experience' in a discussion so focused on the devastating effects assault can have on a woman.

Sarah, 33, was last seen in Clapham, south London, on 3 March, as she was walking home after meeting with a friend.

Police looking for the missing marketing executive said human remains had been found in woodland in Kent on Wednesday, but detectives have not yet confirmed that they have found Sarah.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of Sarah's murder, kidnap and a separate incident of indecent exposure. The Metropolitan Police are being investigated by an independent watchdog on a series of matters, including their handling of an allegation of indecent exposure in the days before Sarah's disappearance.

READ MORE: We're Not Panicking, We're Reacting. We're Not Hysterical, We're Angry.

READ MORE: Men, You Don’t Need To Be A Father, Husband Or Brother To Care About Violence Against Women

READ MORE: Everything You Need To Know About The 'Reclaim These Streets' Vigil Held In Honour Of Sarah Everard

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