Social murder happens when people die before they should and where governments and society know this yet do nothing to prevent it. This has been the case for learning disabled people in the UK (and elsewhere) for decades.
This was made explicit in a book published last year by Sara Ryan, professor of social care at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). The book, Critical Health and Learning Disabilities (previously featured in Community Living, Summer 2025), considers German philosopher Friedrich Engels’ original idea of social murder.
This concept illustrates how the living and working conditions of English workers caused their premature deaths. In her book, Ryan applies this idea to the deaths and impoverished life chances afforded to learning disabled people.
My Life My Choice
The Social Murder Festival took place over five days in July at MMU. It allowed space to commemorate and challenge, while also leaving space for joy, solidarity and connection. There was a different focus each day.
It was not about celebrating social murder, and I’d be amazed if anyone who was involved in any way could actually think that. It grabbed attention and started conversations.
I strongly believe that the only way we’ll stop people dying prematurely is by supporting them to live and love loudly, to exist in society and to be seen and to highlight when things go wrong and ensure people understand why.
The terribly polite British tendency to ignore difficult stuff and look the other way and to consider it impolite to discuss death and premature death at that has not really helped in the past 50 years, so it’s time for something different. If confrontational language helps with that, so be it.
We were incredibly lucky to secure funding from MMU to hold the festival and to do some preparatory work about a people’s inquiry (more on this below).
Resources were launched in the week detailing over half a century of words and no meaningful progress (see Neglect in the spotlight). These resources were outputs from Reigniting Debate, a collaboration between researchers from Bristol, MMU and Sheffield universities working with charities Sunderland People First, My Life My Choice and Bringing Us Together, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research School for Social Care Research.
The festival was organised by Ryan, qualitative researcher Dr Francesca Ribenfors (both of whom work full time at MMU’s Learning Disability and Autism Research Group) and me (I’m a visiting research fellow there).
Anything as ambitious as a festival requires the help and support of lots of other people – those who helped with practical logistics, those who came to speak and participate, those who helped make badges and pack festival bags. It was definitely a team effort.
A wide range of people took part, including learning disabled people and activists, parents and family members, bereaved relatives, artists and actors, researchers and academics, legal professionals and many others (some people are more than one of those).
While most activities were focused on the UK, we were lucky enough to be joined by an early career researcher from Canada, Megan Linton, and by international colleagues for conversations on a potential future research bid.
Monday saw more than 60 people come together for an event looking at social murder and why it happens. We explored information and knowledge that people do not have or misunderstand, what is known and ignored, and what is actively resisted.
It was a day full of raw emotion, the sadness and the joy, with lots of people commenting on how much hope and solidarity there was and how unusual it was to get to spend time with others and hear so many different perspectives. We ended the day with a theatre performance from arts charity Uncurbed Collective.
We were keen to ensure we had a record of the day. Artist Becky Whinnerah, filmmakers from inclusive charity TAPE and photographer Paul Clarke were there to capture it all.
Inquiry into justice
Tuesday saw a complete change of pace and was much more low key and sombre, as we brought together a small group of bereaved family members to talk about a People’s Inquiry into Learning Disability Justice.
We were expertly guided through the day by Ciara Bartlam and Pete Weatherby KC, two barristers from Garden Court North, who kindly agreed to take part in a video interview in advance as they could not attend on the day.
We talked about what a people’s inquiry is, its pros and cons, what it should consider and whether attendees thought a people’s inquiry into the social murder of learning disabled people was worth pursuing.
Attendees shared experiences; there were some laughter and lots of tears. We left the day with the first outline of an inquiry’s scope and terms of reference and the start of a list of who people would like to call to give evidence. The next step is to consult with others about the idea and find some funding for it.
Wednesday saw the festival move to London for a panel discussion event hosted by Lord Paul Scriven in the House of Lords.
Scriven spoke about his nephew Myles (whose inquest this magazine covered last autumn) and his commitment to ensuring that the premature deaths of learning disabled people do not go unnoticed.
Ryan spoke about what social murder is. Kumudu Perera from charity My Life My Choice and Cameron Richards from Dudley Voices for Choice spoke about the work they do as part of the campaigning We Can’t Wait health group, and their experiences as learning disabled people.
The polite British tendency to consider it impolite to discuss death has not helped in the past 50 years. If confrontational language helps, so be it
Richard Keagan-Bull from the LeDeR (Learning from Lives and Deaths) NHS-funded mortality review programme spoke about the group’s work, the difficulties they’ve faced and the fact all people with a learning disability want to do is stay alive and well.
Devastating testimonies were given by relatives of Connor Sparrowhawk, Myles Scriven, Andrew Marber, Louis Cartwright, Edward Hartley, Richard Handley and Daniel Lindsay, all of whom died early.
Thursday and Friday allowed time for discussions about where next or what could be done to tackle social murder.
Our final public event was a lecture given by visiting professor of bereavement and social justice at MMU, Lucy Easthope.
She offered her thoughts about social murder based on a lifetime working in disaster, looking at how people respond when someone dies unexpectedly, how the state and others behave, who is listened to, the tactics, the microaggressions and the all-too-familiar “saccharine cruelty”.
We don’t need more things. We need people to be seen as fully human, not exceptional or somehow different. Within that, we need to start addressing the combined impact of ableism and racism that is resulting in learning disabled people from minority ethnic groups in the UK having their lives cut outrageously short.
We need to talk about social murder – and use the phrase. It is what is happening and we need to call it out for what it is.
