Candle light vigil for women who have suffered domestic violence

Candle light vigil for women who have suffered domestic violence

International Women’s Day was marked by members of Rochdale Boroughwide User Forum Women's Group (RBUF) with a candle light vigil at the Cenotaph in Rochdale town centre on Tuesday evening (8 March).

The vigil took place on the steps of the Cenotaph from 8.00pm onwards in memory of women who have suffered all forms of abuse.

Those gathered heard poems and a speech from local peace and social justice campaigner Pat Sanchez, who spoke movingly of how she set up the first Women's Group in Rochdale in 1972. Ms Sanchez compared the situation for women then with the present and how there is still a struggle for emancipation, equality and to end the shocking figures of rising violence against women and girls in this country.

The Rev Mark Coleman, vicar of St Chad's and St Mary's in the Baum, Rochdale, joined the vigil along with representatives of local mental health, peace and social justice campaigners and community groups.

The publicity officer for the groups said: “We want International Women’s Day to be embedded in Rochdale's annual calendar of events, as it is already in many of our other sister towns in Greater Manchester.

“This is a non-political, non-partisan, cross gender, multi-faith event open to all who are concerned about the role of women in the twenty-first century.

“We intend to organise a much larger and much louder 'reclaim the night' event for women later this year and very much see this as the beginning of something not the end.”