Irene Rosales is Policy and Campaigns Officer and more specifically she is responsible of developing and delivering advocacy and campaigns plans in the fields of violence against women and girls, including the EWL Campaign Loud and United to end violence against women and girls. She coordinates the campaign for a Strong Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence in order to ensure a strong gender sensitive and intersectional perspective and the inclusion of the harmonised definition of rape and other forms of sexual violence.
She coordinates the EWL Observatory on Violence against women, which brings together a dynamic group of women from 32 countries in Europe (professionals, women’s rights defenders, front-line NGOs activists, etc.) and seven of our European wide members, with outstanding experience and expertise in different forms of male violence against women.
She also coordinated the advocacy actions for the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention that was achieved in 2023. She convened the work of both EWL Members and European Coalition to end violence against women and girls, a strategic alliance of more than 25 European wide NGOs and trade Unions working on human rights and social justice that joined forces towards achieving the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention.
In 2013, Irene worked in the coordination of the European wide-Campaign “Act against rape! Use the Istanbul Convention”, developed in cooperation with the Council of Europe, that fostered the ratification of the Convention and its entering into force in 2014.
Irene holds a Master’s Degree on Gender Studies, a Master on Evaluation of public policies and a Degree on Political Science (specialisation on European Studies) by the University Complutense of Madrid.
Before joining the EWL, she worked in the Europe Region World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) as Gender and Diversity Coordinator and in the Office of the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator where she collaborated in the setting up of the EU Civil Society Platform against Trafficking in Human Beings. Between 2007 and 2012, Irene worked as evaluator of public policies and projects in the field of social policy and cooperation for development. Irene has also being involved as volunteer in various women’s organisations and professional groups for gender equality. As a feminist, she has always tried to include a gender equality perspective both to her professional and personal life.
