Aug 19, 2024 ~ Annie Kenney - suffragette

For this special 'World Photograph Day' I share a photo from my home town of Oldham and one of its famous past inhabitants. We are outside our old Town Hall here with its relatively new statue of Annie Kenny.

In this age of more and better rights for women and girls across the world it seems a fitting reminder of how much harder it has been for our womenfolk to be recognised as having the same human rights as men.

"Ann Kenney (13 September 1879 – 9 July 1953) was an English working-class suffragette and socialist feminist who became a leading figure in the Women's Social and Political Union. She co-founded its first branch in London with Minnie Baldock. Kenney attracted the attention of the press and public in 1905 when she and Christabel Pankhurst were imprisoned for several days for assault and obstruction related to the questioning of Sir Edward Grey at a Liberal rally in Manchester on the issue of votes for women. The incident is credited with inaugurating a new phase in the struggle for women's suffrage in the UK with the adoption of militant tactics." Wiki

"Women’s rights are human rights! We are all entitled to human rights. These include the right to live free from violence and discrimination; to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; to be educated; to own property; to vote; and to earn an equal wage. But across the globe many women and girls still face discrimination on the basis of sex and gender. Gender inequality underpins many problems which disproportionately affect women and girls, such as domestic and sexual violence, lower pay, lack of access to education, and inadequate healthcare.
For many years women’s rights movements have fought hard to address this inequality, campaigning to change laws or taking to the streets to demand their rights are respected. And new movements have flourished in the digital age, such as the 'MeToo' campaign which highlights the prevalence of gender-based violence and sexual harassment. (Amnesty International.)

More info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Kenney