Women’s Rights Become Meaningful When Women Can Access Them

It’s a privilege to be here today and to speak following the important discussions we’ve heard throughout the morning.

We’ve heard today about:

• Women’s rights

• Violence against women and girls

• Poverty

• Women’s health

• Employment

• Equality

These are huge issues.

And often when we talk about rights and policy, the conversation can feel very big and very formal.

But in women’s centres, we see what these issues actually look like in everyday life.

For us, these are not just topics for discussion. They are the lived experiences of the women and families who walk through our doors every single day.

At Women’s Centre Derry, no two days are ever the same.

One minute we could be writing letters of support for housing, advocating with the Housing Executive, contacting local MLAs, creating letters of support for Home Office applications, helping women navigate systems that can often feel overwhelming or intimidating.

The next minute we might be ringing:

• Health visitors

• Social workers

• Speech and language therapists

• Mental health teams

• GPs

• Community policing teams

trying to ensure women and children get the support they need.

We support women with:

• School applications

• Childcare benefits

• Food bank referrals

• Education opportunities

• Employability support

• Financial difficulties

• Wellbeing programmes

We host:

• Housing clinics

• Childcare support sessions

• ESOL programmes

• Parenting support

• Accredited education and employment support

• Wellbeing activities

• One-to-one counselling

and practical services that many women may otherwise struggle to access.

A lot of this work may sound practical, but at its core it is about helping women access their rights — whether that is the right to housing, healthcare, education, safety, support or equal opportunities.

And sometimes...

after all of that...

what a woman needs most is simply:

• a listening ear

• a cup of tea

• a place where she feels welcomed and not judged.

Breaking Down Barriers

A huge part of breaking down barriers for women is making support genuinely accessible.

For many women, especially mothers, it’s not simply a case of wanting to attend a course or access support.

Often the first question is:

• Is childcare available?

• Will class times clash with school pick-ups?

• Can they get there on time using public transport?

• Can they afford to attend?

• How will they manage family responsibilities?

These are all very real barriers for women.

That’s why women’s centres take these realities into consideration when planning programmes and services.

Because real accessibility means designing services around the realities of women’s lives.

It’s also why having an onsite crèche for children aged 8 weeks to 4 years is so important within our Centre.

It enables women to attend programmes, appointments and training knowing their children are safe and nearby.

Sometimes it’s those practical supports that make the biggest difference in helping women take that first step through the door.

And if support and opportunities are not accessible to women, then many women are automatically excluded from fully participating in education, employment and community life.

Bringing Support to Women

We also recognise that many women may not feel confident engaging with large organisations or statutory services alone.

So instead of expecting women to navigate those systems alone, we often bring services directly into the Centre.

We work in partnership with organisations such as North West Regional College to deliver programmes within the Centre itself, helping remove barriers around childcare, confidence and accessibility.

We also bring in nurses and healthcare professionals to provide information and support around:

• Cervical screening

• Breast screening

• Bowel screening

Health visitors, community policing teams and other support services also regularly engage within the Centre environment.

Because we know women are often more likely to ask questions and seek support in places where they feel comfortable.

Bringing services into women-centred spaces can help women feel more confident accessing information, healthcare and support that they are entitled to.

Rights Become Meaningful

What we’ve learned through years of working with women is that all of these issues are connected.

You cannot separate housing from mental health.

You cannot separate poverty from wellbeing.

You cannot separate childcare from education or employment opportunities.

And very often, before women can realise their rights, they first need to feel safe enough to ask for help.

That is why women’s centres and women’s groups are so important.

We provide holistic, women-centred support where women feel:

• Safe

• Respected

• Listened to

Very often, women’s centres become the bridge between women and the services and opportunities they are entitled to access.

Because rights are not only about policies or legislation.

Rights become meaningful when women are able to access support, take part within their communities, make informed choices, and feel empowered enough to use their voice.

"Sew Your Rights"

As part of one of our International Women’s Day projects, we held a project called "Sew Your Rights", where women embroidered the Declaration of Rights onto quilts in six different languages.

What was so powerful about that project was seeing women from different backgrounds come together, share experiences, and connect with the idea that rights belong to everyone, regardless of language, background or circumstance.

It reminded us that rights are not just legal concepts,  they are personal, lived, and connected to dignity, identity and belonging.

Moments That Matter

One of the most rewarding parts of the work is getting to witness moments of growth and transformation.

This week, I saw a young woman come into our drop-in area who, when she first arrived with us:

• Had no levels of English

• Had extremely low confidence

• Struggled to advocate for herself

At the beginning, even simple conversations were difficult for her and she was very withdrawn.

But this week she bounced confidently into a busy drop-in room full of women, said hello to everyone, asked women how they were doing, chatted about her course, and confidently made her way to class.

To some people that might seem like a small moment.

But for us, that represents:

• Confidence

• Independence

• Inclusion

• Belonging

• Empowerment

It represents a woman feeling that she has a place within her community and that her voice matters.

And honestly, those are the moments that remind us why this work matters so much.

Why Women's Centres Matter

Because when women are properly supported, the impact reaches far beyond the individual woman herself.

It impacts children. It impacts families. It impacts communities.

Children benefit from seeing their mothers feeling stronger, happier and more connected.

Families become more stable.

Women become more confident engaging with:

• Schools

• Healthcare services

• Employment opportunities

• Community life

Communities become stronger when women are supported, empowered and included.

Women’s organisations also play an important role in ensuring women’s lived experiences are heard within wider systems and decision-making spaces.

Women’s centres are trusted because we are rooted in our communities and women know they can come to us without fear of judgement.

That trust matters.

It allows women to speak openly about issues affecting their lives — whether that is:

• Poverty

• Mental health

• Domestic abuse

• Racism

• Isolation

• Housing problems

• Barriers to employment

And it means we can bring those lived experiences into wider conversations and planning processes where change needs to happen.

Looking Ahead

Events like today are important because they create opportunities for women’s voices and experiences to be recognised and valued.

But these conversations also need to continue beyond today.

We need continued investment in women’s centres, women’s groups and community-based women’s services.

We need joined-up support systems that recognise the realities women are facing every day.

And we need to continue creating safe, inclusive and empowering spaces where women feel able to participate, speak up and realise their rights.

Because women’s rights are not just something discussed in policy documents or conferences.

They are realised every day when women feel:

• Safe

• Supported

• Listened to

and able to participate fully in their communities.

And every single day, in women’s centres across our communities, we see the difference that support, connection and empowerment can make.

Thank you.