Women in Manchester emboldened on International Women's Day

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By Chantelle Tindall

International Women's Day was commemorated in Oldham, Greater Manchester, with an event organised by Ms Hafizan Zaman who runs the Charity called UKEFF, in conjunction with Wernerth and Freehold Community Project and funded by Action Oldham.

According to Hafizan, the event afforded the organisers the opportunity to highlight the positive works they carry out in the community. UKEFF carries out projects which include: Oldham Food Aid Hub, Wise Supporting Women Fleeing Domestic Violence, and Meet Your Muslim Neighbour which does community cohesion work.

In today's environment where people are stereotyped by the way they dress and by the colour of their skin or religion, the Keynote addresses given by speakers Amna Abdullatif of Women's Aid and Mazia Babarkhalil emboldened women, especially in the Muslim and African community, to break the mold. Women were encouraged to get out of toxic and violent relationships before it is too late and to take pride in their religion, aiming higher, thus never letting other people's opinion of how they dress or look make them settle for less.

Also at the event were representatives from the cancer charity - Macmillan who told me they were there to speak about the disease and to highlight the importance of people speaking out and not shying away from seeking treatment and help when the need arises, as the illness is no respecter of race or religion. Necessary and immediate treatment and support is advantageous when fighting the disease.

In a brief chat with PCO Tom Renshaw of Greater Manchester Police for Oldham Central, he explained why they were at the event, saying that they came to talk about crime prevention and most especially for people with dementia. The aim was to explain to dementia sufferers the various crime prevention mechanisms available to them.

International Women's Day Oldham, Greater Manchester, was a very rewarding experience as it shattered the view that Muslim women, especially those in Hijab, are not given the freedom to express themselves or socialise like anyone else. The turn-out was highly impressive and the positive atmosphere coupled with the warm support was highly commendable. I left full of admiration for all these women and hope to see them again soon.