Hundreds of people are expected to hold a silent vigil for Zara Aleena on Saturday afternoon to “walk her home.”
The 35-year-old law graduate was just minutes from her front door when she was attacked on Cranbrook Road in Ilford, east London, on June 26.
Ms Aleena’s family staged a vigil on Saturday, nearly a week after her death, to try to comfort her relatives while raising awareness of the epidemic of male violence against women and girls.
Ms Aleena’s aunt told media on Friday that her niece had been in her own local community, in an area she knew well and where she felt safe when she was attacked.
Farah Naz said the family was determined to try to “change something” and force Britain’s political leaders to “act now to prevent violence.”
She said: ‘(My niece) was not ignorant about the fact that women get hurt. It’s not about making the streets safe, it’s about changing the mindset.’
Weeping, Mrs. Naz added, “We’ll never get through this, but it (the walk) will help us.”
The wake will take the form of a silent walk following the route Mrs. Aleena had taken but was never able to complete, “to bring her safely back to where she belonged.”
Those attending the walk meet opposite Cranbrook Rise on Cranbrook Road in Ilford at 1.30 pm and start the walk at 2.17 pm – the time in the morning on June 26 when Mrs Aleena was attacked.
Her family asked those in attendance to wear white and remain “quiet and gloomy” as “we walk home with Zara in our hearts.”
In anticipation of Ms. Aleena’s silent vigil, women are sharing photos of their shoes on social media using the hashtag #SafelyHomeInOurShoes.
She was on her way home from a night out when she was dragged, kicked and stomped, prosecutors said.
An autopsy revealed she had suffered multiple serious injuries.
Jordan McSweeney, 29, of Dagenham, east London, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday charged with murder, attempted rape and theft.
He made no plea and was remanded in custody.
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