New President of international women’s organisation urges members to ‘Think on It’

We are pleased to announce that Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) Ltd installed a new President, at its Conference in Liverpool on 27 October 2018.

Federation President Sue Williams succeeded Susan Biggs, and will lead the organisation over the next 12 months. Her theme for the year is ‘Think on it’ which encourages Members to raise awareness of mental health, particularly the issues which affect women and girls, such as that resulting from domestic violence or PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Some shocking statistics:

• 29% of women have mental health issues compared with 17% of men.
• 30-60% of women with mental health problems have experienced domestic violence.
• 2/3 of dementia cases are women.
• 1 in 12 young women self-harm.
• 20% of women have PTSD compared to 8 % of men.
• 56% of young trafficked survivors have depression.

“Good mental health is fundamental to thriving in life. It is the essence of who we are and how we experience the world. Yet, compared to physical health, so little is commonly known about mental ill health and how to prevent it. That must change”, said Sue Williams, SIGBI President.

President Sue looks forward to working with Clubs to raise awareness of these issues.

Notes to Editors

For more information about the work of Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland, or this Press Release, please contact Gina Coad, Executive Officer, Soroptimist International of Great Britain & Ireland (SIGBI) on 0161 480 7686, email hq@sigbi.org website www.sigbi.org

1. Web addresses:

www.sigbi.org

www.soroptimistinternational.org

2. With the name taken from the Latin ‘soror’ for sister and ‘optima’ for the best, Soroptimist International is a leading global women's voluntary organisation. It has close to 80,000 members in more than 3,000 Clubs in over 100 countries around the world. The Federation of Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) has 7,500 members in 322 clubs in 28 countries including the British Isles, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Malta.

3. Soroptimists inspire action and create opportunities to transform the lives of women and girls through a global network of members and international partnerships. Soroptimists are committed to a world where women and girls together achieve their individual and collective potential, realise aspirations and have an equal voice in creating strong and peaceful communities worldwide.

4. Soroptimists focus on transforming the lives of women and girls, locally, nationally and globally, through education, empowerment and enabling initiatives. Soroptimists make a difference to the lives of more than half a million women and girls in the world every year.

5. Soroptimist International Great Britain & Ireland is an organisation in Special Consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council since July 2013, which is in addition to the General Consultative status held by the umbrella organisation Soroptimist International. Soroptimist International is a recognised Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) representing women from all over the world.