News on Greater Manchester Safer Streets

Council leader Arooj Shah spent Tuesday evening on the streets of Oldham with an organisation that is looking to support female sex workers.

Cllr Shah was with Manchester City Mission, an organisation that works with vulnerable people in the city including the homeless, hungry and sex workers. It was part of their project called Restart, which reaches out to sex workers and looks to help them bring stability to their lives.

Cllr Shah said on Twitter on Wednesday: "I spent the rest of the night staring at my ceiling in despair of the world we live in.

"I will do all I can to protect, support, empower women anywhere at any cost."

During the evening, Cllr Shah met with some of the affected women that Manchester City Mission looks to help and discussed how vital the support they receive is and what more needs to be done.

The organisation's Restart project looks to provide "non-judgemental support to sex workers" by helping them with sanitation, overcoming addiction, finding a stable home and protection against violence.

By helping them, Manchester City Mission looks to help sex workers make their way out of the industry, if the women wish to leave it.

Cllr Shah met with some of the senior members of Manchester City Mission in late January to discuss the launch of the Restart project in Oldham.

Director of Manchester City Mission Terry Durose said at the time that the council leader was "very supportive" of the work the organisation does and was "clearly passionate about helping those who want to find a way out of sex work".

The council leader has been active in projects that look to empower and help women.

Cllr Shah heads a taskforce that looks to tackle female inequality across the borough, has volunteered on Oldham Street Angels' Trust People scheme that addresses women's safety at tram stops and has previously tabled a motion to the council calling on police to offer "robust" responses to crimes against women amongst other things.