The Auburn Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre in Auburn, New South Wales, Australia has installed privacy curtains so Muslim women can swim without being seen by other pool users. The lightweight curtain runs around the glass walls of the program pool which holds all female swim sessions for two hours each Sunday.<\/p>\n
The pool was opened in March and\u00a0Belgravia Leisure, which runs the facility, says the curtains were installed to “overcome cultural barriers and encourage Muslim women to use the pool.” Auburn Council General Manager Malcolm Ryan<\/strong> said that, “There was a very high demand for female-only classes at the aquatic centre before redevelopment to cater for the differing modesty requirements. These classes were very popular but due to the centre only having one pool before redevelopment, the high demand wasn\u2019t being met. With the installation of curtains at the program pool, the Auburn Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre is inclusive to the whole community at all times and can cater to any requirement, without it impacting on the rest of the centre.\u201d<\/p>\n Muslim women won’t have to wear anything special in the new facility, which was opened in March of this year. They will be free to wear a swimsuit that is comfortable, rather than a “burkini” or a hijab that they’d have to wear in public pools.<\/p>\n