Islington Council has announced it will appoint a ‘Women and Girls Champion’, the first appointment of its kind in the UK.
The new position, which was announced to coincide with International Women’s Day, is designed to highlight what more can be done to ensure the rights of women and girls are protected.
The councillor who takes on the new role will also champion services designed to support women and girls and to end violence against them.
The Women and Girls Champion was a position initially recommend by Plan International UK, whose 2016 publication State of Girls’ Rights brought to light the challenges faced by girls in the UK.
‘In recent months we have seen powerful examples of how women have spoken out against sexual harassment and discrimination in society through the #MeToo movement,’ Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Islington Council's executive member for community development.
‘The fight for women’s equality is not over, and too many women in Islington and the world are facing harassment, discrimination and violence.
‘We as a council have a responsibility to ensure that everything we do that affects the lives of women and girls has a focus on achieving equality.
‘For that reason, we’re proud to act on the recommendations contained within Plan International’s report and will appoint a “Women and Girls Champion”.’
