Dear Editor,
This year's Women's History Month is a moment to reflect on the challenges still facing women around the world, and in the UK. In Southwark, my organisation, the Women’s Health Advocacy Network (WHAN) stands with survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), offering crisis support, counselling, and advocacy to ensure no survivor walks alone.
In London, one in twelve women experiences SGBV each year, and support services are stretched beyond capacity. The recent ten-month pause in online referrals for the London Survivors Gateway is just one sign of a system under strain. WHAN helps bridge these gaps, but frontline efforts alone aren’t enough.
We need sustained investment in grassroots organisations, where support is most effective. Stronger collaboration between local councils, the NHS, and survivor-led groups would streamline access to care.
Southwark has a long history of women leading change, from Bella Burge, one of the UK’s first female boxing promoters, to the Alo-Wa Oral History Group, which preserves Black women’s experiences. Their legacy reminds us that collective action drives progress.
This Women's History Month, it’s imperative that we commit to that action. Healing is not a solitary journey. It is a community promise. I am confident that we can build a Southwark where every woman thrives.
Yours Sincerely,
Adama Bah - CEO, Women’s Health Advocacy Network (WHAN)
Adama Bah
Voice of a survivor.
CEO, Women’s Health Advocacy Network (WHAN)