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International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day is an important moment each year when we celebrate the inspirational Women who have done so much, but when we also recognise how much more there is still to do.

In the House of Commons, I firstly paid tribute to trailblazing Betty Boothroyd, who sadly passed away this month. She was the first and only female Speaker of the House of Commons. She made a huge impact on the UK Parliament and paved a new way for women in politics.

I also highlighted the great impact of a few amazing and successful women from our constituency, Erith and Thamesmead:

“Deborah Frimpong, chair of Moorings Neighbourhood Forum and a formidable community activist; Councillor Averil Lekau, deputy leader of Greenwich Council, is doing great things at a local level to support women and champion their inclusion; Hend Kheiralla is the host of the Ladies of the Lake podcast, which amplifies the voices of women who have grown up, worked, and lived in Thamesmead; Debbie McFaul, is director of Crumbs Bakery, a business that truly brings in and supports the community; Karen Saunders from Greenwich Centre of Mission does a lot to support young people in our community, particularly bringing us together when two young boys, Kearne and Charlie, were murdered in my constituency; Claire Hallinan from Hawksmoor Youth Club has delivered fantastic services to young people and the wider community of Thamesmead, but has also faced considerable challenges with the state of its facilities; Finally, Catherine Molnar, founder of CC Events, hosts a market in Abbey Wood and Thamesmead and has won awards for the role they play in the community.”

Thank you also to all those running events to celebrate IWD and all the great women who I spoke to. Some of events I attended include the Lewisham West and Penge CLP, Women’s Lobby Reception, the Lloyds Bank Reception and the Women in Business reception.

I want to again wish everyone a happy International Women’s Day and I hope we can all agree that together we can make change for the better.

You can read my speech for the International Women’s Day Debate here and watch the speech here.

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Centenary Action Group Parliamentary Event

Last week I attended the ‘How can we reach equal representation of women in Parliament by 2028?’ event hosted by Centenary Action Group (CAG).

CAG is a coalition bringing together organisations from across the women’s sector to enable collaboration, joint action and campaigning to eradicate the barriers that prevent women, in all their diversity, from taking part in politics and to improve women’s political participation in the UK.

This event enabled a cross-party discussion about the way forward and the sharing of ideas and experiences to ensure the next election does not see a slippage of female candidates. I spoke about Labour Women Network’s Selections For This Millennium campaign, the Jo Cox Women in Leadership Scheme and the Labour Women Network’s Political School. Labour has upskilled and encouraged almost 400 women in the last 12 months.

It was lovely meeting women from across different sectors who are looking to stand for election in the coming years.

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Media Interview with Hend Kheiralla

I sat down with Hend Kheiralla, host of the Ladies of the Lakes radio show, to discuss my journey into politics, getting started as a new MP after my election in 2019, my experience representing Erith and Thamesmead so far, and advice for those interested in politics. I also spoke about the importance of allyship, networks and mentorship.

Abena said:

I think female representation is important in Parliament as well as diversity… because I think it is important to have people from all walks of life.

Ladies of the Lakes is a series of interviews exploring stories of women who grew up and lived in Thamesmead.

You can listen to the full interview here.

HEND INTERVIEW

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Celebrating local women in Parliament for International Women’s Day

On 8 March we marked International Women’s Day 2021. I used the parliamentary debate on IWD, held on 11 March, to celebrate local women making a difference in our community.

They included Dr Sam Parrett OBE, principal of London and South East Education Group, who has done so much to ensure that young people were supported throughout the pandemic; Sue Stockham, an ovarian cancer survivor, who is using her experience to raise awareness about the signs of ovarian cancer and the importance of getting help quickly during the pandemic; Carmel Britto who is the founding director of LPF Kiddies Club, which offers educational enrichment to young children from African and Caribbean backgrounds; Kate Heaps who is the chief executive of Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice; and Yeukai Taruvinga who is the founder and director of Active Horizons, a charity that works to support Black and ethnic minority young people in Bexley.

I also paid tribute to the countless women who have served on the frontline in our constituency during the pandemic as doctors, nurses, carers, cleaners, and other key workers. I could not name them all, but we must not forget the sacrifices they have made and the burden that has fallen on them.

You can watch my full speech below:

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MP calls for action to improve cancer diagnosis

Erith and Thamesmead MP Abena Oppong-Asare used Ministerial question time in Parliament to call for faster cancer diagnosis.

Abena raised the issue of ovarian cancer diagnosis for women with Health Minister Jo Churchill in Parliament today, asking the Minister to ensure that women referred are diagnosed our ruled out within 28 days in line with the Government’s stated faster diagnosis standard.

Cancer charities are concerned that targets for faster diagnosis and access to treatment are not being met.

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