EWL News

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EWL News
EWL submission to the Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society

Paris, 12th September

Posted on 12 September 2013 |

(Brussels 12 September) The Union for the Mediterranean held the third gathering of Ministers in charge of women’s affairs and gender equality from the 43 UfM Member States in Paris this September.
The event was co-chaired by the Union for the Mediterranean’s co-presidency, the European External Action Service and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and hosted by HE Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Minister of Women’s Rights of the Republic of France.
According to statements published on the UfM (...) Read more
EWL News
Ireland: Women and children are suffering under austerity, EWL members NWCI say

Posted on 12 September 2013 |

(Dublin 12 September) Women and children are suffering under austerity
Women and children have been mostly affected by austerity measures over the past years. National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) calls for a different policy direction in its presentation of its Pre-Budget Submission 2014 to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance today.
Ann Irwin, Policy Officer with NWCI said, “Austerity is not working. Previous Budgets have severely impacted on women, families and children, (...) Read more
EWL News
Everyday Sexism Project launches in Denmark

Posted on 11 September 2013 |

The Danish branch of The Everyday Sexism Project was launched on August 08 2013. Already over 300 women have contributed to the site with their stories. The site serves a catalogue of documenting the ways women experience sexism on daily basis.
(10 September) The spokeswomen behind the site, journalist Irene Manteufel and Ulla Tornemand, Vice-President of the Danish Women’s Society, say: “Basically, everyday sexism is anything from personal experiences with rape, rape threats, (...) Read more
EWL News
25 November - 10 December 2013: Europe mobilises against rape and for the Istanbul Convention as a tool of change!

Posted on 5 September 2013 |

(Brussels, 5 September) The EWL is pleased to announce the start of a new project to promote the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention, with a specific focus on rape and sexual violence against women. Following the publication of the EWL Barometer on Rape, this joint project with the Council of Europe will support actions during the 16 days of Activism on Violence Against Women in 2013.
The aim of this project is to put sexual violence and rape back on the political agenda by (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL French Coordination CLEF reacts to new pieces of legislation on violence against women in France

Law 05 August 2013: France adapts its legislation to the Istanbul Convention of 11 May 2011 and transposes the Directive on trafficking in human beings

Posted on 4 September 2013 |

[CLEF, Paris, 30 August] The CLEF welcomes this important Act that completes the penal framework to fight against violence against women and that generally defines the concepts of slavery.
1. This law includes new penalties in accordance with the Istanbul Convection. Forced marriages : the use of fraudulent tactics to mislead someone to get married abroad is an offense punishable by a penalty of three years of imprisonment. forced abortion : the attempt of the offense is considered (...) Read more
EWL News
A fond farewell: Marie Anne Leunis, 20 years dedication to the EWL

Posted on 29 August 2013 |

(29 August, 2013) It will be with very heavy hearts that the EWL Secretariat will bid goodbye to Marie-Anne Leunis, who has been an integral part of the EWL since our inception over twenty years ago. Unfailingly positive, with an encyclopedic knowledge of our membership, Marie-Anne will be very much missed here in rue Hydraulique. Marie-Anne recently wrote a piece about her time in the European Women’s Lobby, and shared some of her fondest memories about her two decades of work for women’s (...) Read more
EWL News
Save the Date: Beyond the Brussels Bubble: 50/50 Parity Democracy Launch - National Action (18 September, 2013)

Posted on 29 August 2013 |

[Brussels, 9 August 2013] Following the successful launch of the 50/50 Campaign for gender parity website in European decision-making in the lead up to the 2014 elections, this 50/50 campaign launch will focus on action happening at the National level with the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) partners and ‘Parity Democracy’.
Make sure you save the date for a lively discussion, exchange of good practices, and introduction to tools and messages that can be used at National level and EU-level across (...) Read more
EWL News
Austerity is not working!

EWL Irish members provide pre-Budget submission - call for reversal of cuts

Posted on 14 August 2013 |

[Dublin 14 August, 2013] National Women’s Council of Ireland sounds the alarm call over new budget and proposed further cuts to carers allowances, childcare and education.
Austerity is not working for women and children
The National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) calls on the government to protect women and children from further cuts in Budget 2014 and invest into crucial support, such as childcare.
Launching its Pre-Budget Submission 2014 today, Orla O’Connor, Director of NWCI said, “We (...) Read more
EWL News
‘France: For genuine equality between women and men’

Posted on 2 August 2013 |

[By Annie Sugier and Françoise Morvan, French Coordination for the EWL, Paris, 18 July 2013]
On the 3rd of July draft legislation on equality between women and men was presented to the French Council of Ministers by Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Minister for Women’s Rights. It is the first complex legislative proposal for women’s rights in French history. It is composed of 25 articles that not only propose changes on the legislative level but provides for measures that complement the initiatives (...) Read more
EWL News
Hungary: All nation-wide women NGOs support parity in political decision-making

Posted on 2 August 2013 |

[Hungary, 29 July 2013] Following an initiative of the Hungarian Women’s Lobby all three Hungarian women’s NGO umbrella groups signed a common statement called "Women’s political participation is a democratic value” for increasing women’s political participation, with regard to the elections in 2014.
Since the transition to democracy, representation of women in the Hungarian Parliament has hovered around 10%. Women’s parliamentary representation is 9.35% at the moment, a number which makes it (...) Read more