BELFAST City Hall has been lit up purple to mark World Menopause Day.
Sinn Féin Councillor Áine McCabe put forward the request and also held a meeting on Tuesday night in City Hall with MLA Órlaithí Flynn and over 30 local women in the Mayor's parlour to mark the day.
Órlaithí Flynn also chaired an All-Party Group (APG) meeting at Stormont on women's health in which it was agreed to write to the Department of Health to encourage preparatory work on a Women's Health Strategy.
Delighted that the All-Party Group on #WomensHealth has agreed to my proposal to write to Health Dept. to encourage preparatory work on a Women's Health Strategy & to invite a Health Minister in a re-established Executive to attend & update the APG on that work as a priority.
— Órlaithí Flynn (@OrlaithiF_MLA) October 18, 2023
The group also agreed to invite the future Health Minister to the APG for updates on the progress of a Women's Health Strategy as a priority.
Speaking after the event in Stormont, Órlaithí Flynn said: “The stigma and lack of awareness of the challenges faced by women going through menopause needs to end.
“Menopause affects all women at some point in their lives and they should be getting the support they are entitled to.
“The North is the only region across these islands which doesn’t have an overarching women’s health strategy and this is something that Sinn Féin strongly advocates.
“Sinn Féin has outlined our vision of what is needed to ensure women receive the healthcare they need and support in work during menopause.
“All parties agreed to make health a priority and I would urge the DUP to end its boycott now and get back to work with the rest of us so we can support these women.”
