European & International News

International news globe All the latest news from the European Union, its member states, and beyond.

European & International News
Effective awareness raising leads to increase in reporting VAW in NI

Posted on 10 May 2013 |

[Brussels, 10 May 2013] Every fifth women in Europe has been subjected to male domestic violence (EWL, ‘Unveiling the hidden data on domestic violence in the EU’, 1999). “Reports of domestic abuse in Northern Ireland have increased by almost 1,200 in six months. There were 13,558 alleged incidents between April and September compared with 12,364 for the same period last year.” The Irish Times cites the Police Service of Northern Ireland numbers. Reinforced cooperation between the PSNI and (...) Read more
European & International News
European women’s NGOs demand governmental action on Women, Peace and Security

Posted on 3 May 2013 |

[The Hague, 13 April 2013] The member countries of the [European Centre of the International Council of Women->http://www.ecicw-cecif.com (ECICW-CECIF), a pan-European umbrella organisation working within the framework of the International Council of Women and with participative status at the Council of Europe, during the General Assembly 12 - 14th April 2013 in The Hague, participated in a seminar organised by The Netherland’s National Council of Women, Defence Women’s Network and the (...) Read more
European & International News
Alert from the Feminist Movement against serious regressions in the 46th Session of the Commission on Population and Development of United Nations

Posted on 3 May 2013 |

[Coalition of several women’s organisations (see list below), New York, April 25, 2013] International migration is the main topic of the 46th Session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD46), being held from April 22-26 in New York City. The feminist organizations in this meeting denounce the global tendency to omit the integrality of human rights. In spaces of international negotiation, some human rights are prioritized over other human rights. This ultimately reproduces, (...) Read more
European & International News
’Chime for change’: new global campaign for girls’ and women’s empowerment

Posted on 3 May 2013 |

(2 May 2013) The private company Gucci is launching a new global campaign to raise funds and awareness for girls’ and women’s empowerment, called ’Chime for change’.
The campaign aims to convene, unite and strengthen the voices speaking out for girls and women around the world. It focuses on three key areas: Education, Health and Justice.
Several projects promoting women’s and girls’ rights are supported through Chime for Change, like Equality Now’s action ’Survivors stories’. The Justice (...) Read more
European & International News
Sexual and reproductive health rights - Ireland next?

Posted on 1 May 2013 |

(Dublin 01 May) The Irish government has proposed legislation entitled the ’Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013’ which aims to legislate to clarify the circumstances in which doctors can intervene where a woman’s life is at risk.
Ireland has also had to look again at its abortion legislation because of its obligations under European human rights law. This draft bill seeks to bring the country’s legislation into line with a Supreme Court judgment over twenty one years ago that it is (...) Read more
European & International News
Women in prison

“The State of the Estate”, new report on the women’s conditions in UK prisons

Posted on 26 April 2013 |

(Brussels 25 April 2013) Reviewing the treatment of women prisoners in the UK.
Some quick facts 5% of prisoners in the UK are women 1 out of 5 self-harming prisoners in the UK is a woman 50% of women in prison report having experienced violence at home (compared with 25% of men) 33% of women in prison have suffered sexual abuse (compared with 10% of men) 40% of young women in prison are mothers
Five years after the the Corston report on women’s treatment in the criminal justice system in (...) Read more
European & International News
Croatia elects 50/50 male female MEPs for European Parliament

Posted on 24 April 2013 |

(Brussels 24 April, 2013) In June 2013, Croatia will join the EU as the 28th Member State - and the first elections for 12 Croat members of the European Parliament was held on the 14th of April last. These 12 first members will serve just over a year in the Parliament before the elections in June 2014. The number of Croat MEPs will decrease to 11 in 2014.
Turnout was very low, with just over 20.75% of the electorate showing up at the polls, where, for the first time, candidates were chosen (...) Read more
European & International News
Ireland: Inquest into Savita’s death finds medical misadventure

Posted on 19 April 2013 |

(Galway 19 April 2013) The coroners inquest into the death of Savita Halippanavar in Ireland in October last has today reached a verdict of ‘medical misadventure’. After a two and a half hour deliberation the foreman of the jury told Galway West coroner Dr. Ciaran MacLouglin it had reached the unanimous verdict of medical misadventure and strongly endorsed his nine recommendations "after much consideration". The seven day inquest has heard evidence from the medical team who provided care for (...) Read more
European & International News
Increase of trafficking in human beings in Europe: EWL supports EU Commissioner’s call for action to the Member States

Posted on 15 April 2013 |

[Brussels, 15 April 2013] EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström held a press conference today in Brussels to unveil European figures on the scale of trafficking in human beings in Europe, and to remind EU Member States of their duty to transpose the EU Anti-Trafficking Directive into their national legislation. The deadline for transposition expired on the 6 April 2013. So far, only 6 Member States have fully transposed the directive, and 3 have only reported partial (...) Read more
European & International News
Hot off the presses: where are the women in journalists’ unions?

Posted on 11 April 2013 |

(Brussels, 11 April 2013) The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have released a report and a survey on the presence or absence of women in journalists’ unions in Europe. The profession as a whole has become an increasingly female one, but union representation and union membership across Europe has not yet fully changed to reflect this reality.
The IFJ/EFJ held a conference in Athens in June 2012, at which a survey was distributed. (...) Read more