October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as you know, this corner of The Impartial Reporter is a space to talk about all things women-related. And, this week, it is a space to talk about all things breasts. Around one in eight women in Northern Ireland will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, accounting for 30 per cent of all cancer in women.
On Monday, September 16, the Executive Office published the ‘Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy’. A commitment to ending violence against women and girls that cannot come soon enough, this should have been a moment of unbridled celebration – but it was bittersweet news after we learned of the murder of another woman in Northern Ireland. A sobering reminder of how much this means to women.
On Monday, July 29, three little girls were killed by a 17-year-old male. Bebe, Elsie and Alice were just aged 6, 7 and 9. They were at a Taylor Swift-themed yoga class in Southport and were murdered by a now 18-year-old-man. With a house full of ‘Swifties’, my heart breaks at how families can be changed irrevocably in an instant.
Blackstone’s ratio, “It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer”, is as alive in the comments section on social media today as it was in ‘Commentaries on the Laws of England’ in the 1760s. It should go without saying that not one of us would ever wish to see innocent people being wrongly convicted.
Kerrie Flood takes a look at the issues around homelessness and what could be done to alleviate pressures
Like many of you, I read Maud Clarke’s harrowing interview (‘Breaking the Silence’) in The Impartial Reporter on May 9. As she detailed the consequences of one man’s actions for her and her family, I thought of the many women who exist in the aftermath of trauma. This week, I want to talk about women and why we drink.
Kerrie Flood writes about the stark costs of childcare faced by may in Northern Ireland.
A recent BBC headline read: “Derrylin fire: ‘Strange’ story of Daniel Allen who killed family”. The word ‘strange’ is supposed to frame the context that it is unusual that someone who had entered a suicide pact would be the sole survivor.
Politicians now back at work should do more to help tackle menopause awareness in the workplace, and help to address the issue that affects women.
Sometimes the universe conspires to send you a clear message. This week, the universe knew that I wanted to talk about today’s (Thursday, January 18) strike action – not that I needed any convincing.
