EWL News

News typewritter Latest news from the European Women’s Lobby in Brussels

EWL News
Statement and Recommendations regarding the prevention and fight against sexism in the EU: Mobilising against sexism, to see it, name it and stop it

Posted on 15 April 2021 |

[Brussels, 15 April 2021] The European Women’s Lobby stands firm that fully implementing the women’s human rights, changing old ways of thinking and old patterns and structures of our society, including eradicating sex- and gender-based stereotypes, is core to ending sexism across European societies.
Mobilising against sexism to see it, name it and stop it– the motto of the Council of Europe’s campaign against sexism - is still highly needed, all over Europe.
Sexism is a significant obstacle (...) Read more
EWL News
Ahead of Istanbul Convention 10th anniversary, women CSOs sound the alarm on women’s rights rollback in Europe

Posted on 14 April 2021 |

Condemning Turkey’s recent decision and Poland’s announced intention to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, in a new report the European Women’s Lobby calls attention to the Treaty’s crucial role in protecting women and girls from male violence. Simply put: the Istanbul Convention saves women’s lives.
[Brussels, 14 April 2021] To mark the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, the European women’s Lobby (...) Read more
EWL News
Respect. In disrespecting one woman, all women are disrespected.

Posted on 9 April 2021 |

[09 April 2021, Brussels] On 6 April, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, met in Ankara with the President of the Turkish Government, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, in what seems to have been a deliberate diplomatic slight, there was no chair for her to sit at the official meeting.
Sadly, this is representative of the way in which deeply rooted sexist attitudes affect women in all areas of life: in (...) Read more
EWL News
The EWL condemns the President of Turkey’s Decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention

Letter to HRVP Borrell and the Portuguese Presidency of the Council

Posted on 22 March 2021 |

Your Excellency High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, Your Excellency Portuguese Foreign Minister
We are writing to you concerning today’s EU Foreign Affairs Council, in which an exchange of views will be held on the Southern neighborhood and Turkey. We, the undersigned, are jointly writing to you as President and Vice-President of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL), representing over 2,000 women’s associations across Europe, with members from EU Accession (...) Read more
EWL News
Pay transparency directive – a milestone in closing the gender pay gap?

Posted on 19 March 2021 |

[Brussels, 19 March 2021] The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) welcomes the recently adopted legislative proposal on pay transparency by the European Commission, which has been long overdue. While there are many positive measures in the proposal including a definition of ‘work of equal value’, the EWL regrets that mandatory reporting on the gender pay gap only concerns companies with 250 workers, which excludes many sectors where women work, particularly in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL members meet for bi-annual EWL Board Meeting

Posted on 16 March 2021 |

[Brussels, 16 March 2021] The Board of EWL gathered online during the weekend of 27-28 February 2021 for its bi-annual meeting. For the Board, which includes representatives from EWL’s National Coordinations and European-wide organisations, this is a key moment to discuss current trends and needs of the women’s movement, make plans for the year ahead, and reflect together on common strategies and objectives.
This time, Board Members focused in particular on EWL’s plans and priorities for 2021 (...) Read more
EWL News
Women and girls must not pay the price for the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath

EWL Statement for the International Women’s Day 2021

Posted on 8 March 2021 |

“Women’s full, effective participation in public and political life, decision-making and leadership, including in the design and implementation of the EU’s response to this crisis, is crucial to eliminating male violence against women and girls and to ensure all their lived experiences and specific challenges are taken into account.”, stressed Gwendoline Lefebvre, President of the European Women’s Lobby.
On International Women’s Day 2021, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL), the largest umbrella of (...) Read more
EWL News
Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence Statement Ahead of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, 6 February 2021

Posted on 8 February 2021 |

Ahead of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, 6 February 2021, the Co-leaders of the Generation Equality Forum Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence reaffirmed their commitment to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and all forms of gender-based violence (GBV), around the world.
Women and girls in all their diversity have the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, to live free from violence, and all deserve the ability (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL stands with our sisters across Poland

Posted on 29 January 2021 |

The EWL has been dismayed to hear of the intention of the Government in Poland to progress its ban on abortion.
We recognise that the vast majority of legal abortions in Poland are for reason of fatal foetal abnormality – i.e., cases where a much-wanted life is lost. Such tragedy should never be compounded by needing to seek back-alley surgery that further risks the health and life of the woman involved. Indeed, Poland has one of the highest rates of illegal abortions in the European Union. (...) Read more
EWL News
16 Days of Activism

A look back to events and activities organised by members and partners of the EWL

Posted on 18 December 2020 |

EWL members and partners joined forces with NGOs and women’s organisations around the world to mark the 16 days of activism to end violence against women and girls.
[Brussels, 15 December 2020] Male violence against women and girls is a long-term systemic issue across the world. It is the most pervasive violation of women’s human rights that has life-long implications for women’s physical and mental health. There can be no peace and security while women fear for their safety in their homes, (...) Read more