“Social murder is when people die early and the government does nothing to stop it.”
These words, from activist academic Professor Sara Ryan, reflect the enduring human rights and healthcare scandal experienced by learning disabled people and their families – a scandal that successive governments have failed to address.
Her words, which describe what is usually termed “avoidable” or “premature” deaths, came at the recent Social Murder Festival. Ryan, her colleagues, collaborators and allies launched the event at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Community Living has a special focus on the week-long event, with George Julian (who was among the organisers) introducing the concept. Her article reflects why the term “festival” is accurate. I took part in the first day and, while it was utterly devastating and grim, as discussed by the excellent participants, it was also about community, creativity and the power of collective resistance – so festival.
While the Social Murder Festival was utterly devastating and grim, it was also about community, creativity and the power of collective resistance – so festival
The related timeline of healthcare failures, created by the Reigniting Debate project, shows how, despite decades of reports and inquiries, progress is limited.
Ambivalent attitude
There are related themes elsewhere in this issue, in terms of society’s long-standing ambivalence and intolerance.
Parent advocate Simon Berry, for example, gives us a brief, brutal glimpse into people’s deeply unsettling responses to his son Max, who exhibits what is termed “challenging behaviour”.
Similarly, arts correspondent Simon Jarrett defies the assumption that people with learning disabilities cannot understand complex emotions as other humans do.
As argued powerfully by those at the Social Murder Festival, until people with learning disabilities are seen as fully human, very little will shift the inequality and the woeful failures in care.
Which is why it is even more vital to call out “premature death” for what it is: social murder.
Saba Salman
Editor
