EWL News

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

EWL News
Pregnancy and Maternity leave – Are women paying the price of the financial and economic crisis?

Posted on 31 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 31 August 2011] The EWL recently reported the case of a woman in Belgium who was rewarded six months pay when the Court ruled that she was discriminated against as a result of her pregnancy after her initial short term contract was not renewed. The article also highlighted the fact that the Belgian Institute for Equality between Women and Men had registered 42 complaints related to pregnancy/maternity in 2010 alone.
This information cohorts with the information collated in the (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL thanks Eva-Britt Svensson for her outstanding contribution to advancing women’s rights as Chair of the European Parliament’s FEMM Committee

Posted on 31 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 31 August 2011] The EWL has greeted the news of the resignation of Ms. Eva-Britt Svensson from the European Parliament due to health issues with great regret.
Commenting on The Parliament.com, EWL Secretary General Cécile Gréboval said that the contribution of Ms. Svensson to advancing women’s rights has been tremendous during her time as Chair of the Women’s Rights Committee in the European Parliament.
"Ms Svensson was able, thanks to her skills, commitment and expertise to (...) Read more
EWL News
Belgium - EWL members launch ’AUWCH (Ouch!) Award’ for sexist talk or behaviour and compete for advertising space

Posted on 22 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 22 August 2011] The Nederlandstalige Vrouwenraad, EWL member organisation in Belgium, has launched a ’painful prize for sexist talk or behaviour’: the AUWCH (Ouch!) Award.
The AUWCH Award rewards persons or organisations which ‘brace the glass ceiling, reject quota laws, keep women’s salaries low and inequality high’. We invite anyone who has experienced or seen discriminations or sexisms to nominate the responsible actor for the AUWCH Award through the dedicated website: (...) Read more
EWL News
Portugal - EWL members publish CEDAW shadow report

Posted on 18 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 17 August 2011] The EWL Coordination in Portugal, the Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights, has published its shadow report prepared for the 42nd CEDAW Session, for the country report about Portugal.
The publication is composed of two parts: The main part contains the shadow report and the recommendations of the CEDAW Committee to Portugal and an explanatory interview with Regina Tavares da Silva, member of the Platform and ex-expert of the Committee. The leaflet has articles (...) Read more
EWL News
WAGGGS partner with UN Women in global campaign to stop violence against girls

Posted on 17 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 16 August 2011] Girls in every country across the world are being subjected to many forms of violence – this is wrong and must stop. Girls have the right to live free from violence and the fear of violence. They need to be aware of their rights – and find the voice to create a global movement to end violence.
EWL member organisation, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, is partnering with UN Women as part of our campaign to ‘Stop the violence. Speak out for girls’ (...) Read more
EWL News
Ireland - ’Not Natasha’ exhibition closes with launch of ’Manifesto for Turn off the Red Light’

Posted on 15 August 2011 |

[Dublin, 15 August 2011] A large gathering of supporters met on Thursday 28 July for the closing of the photographic exhibition ‘Not Natasha’ at the Creation Arcade, Duke Street, in the context of a ‘Manifesto for Turn off the Red Light’.
The evening kicked off with a range of speakers – from politics, sports, arts, business and civil society - performing public Manifestos and offering diverse points of views – all equally supporting the national campaign for the abolition of the system of (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL writes to President Obama to urge action on the routine denial of abortions for girls and women impregnated by rape during armed conflict

Posted on 1 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 1 August 2011] The EWL President, Brigitte Triems, has today sent a letter to President Obama urging him to take action on the routine denial of abortions for girls and women impregnated by rape in armed conflicts, as a result of the current US ‘no abortion’ policy which is attached to all humanitarian aid, including aid to countries in conflict.
The text of the letter, which also been sent to relevant EU Commissioners as well as Margot Wallström, the UN Special Representative (...) Read more
EWL News
Finland/Latvia - EWL member project challenges gender roles to prevent trafficking

Posted on 28 July 2011 |

[Brussels, 29 July 2011] An EWL member - the Resource Centre for Women “Marta” - which is based in Riga, Latvia, is undertaking a project aimed at combating stereotypical gender perceptions at a grass-root level in order to undermine conditions for development of gender related violence, human trafficking and sexual slavery. The project, Challenging Gender roles for Prevention of Trafficking, is a Åland-Latvian initiative which is being carried out jointly with by the Åland Islands Peace (...) Read more
EWL News
European Women’s Lobby, WIDE and CONCORD publish Joint Statement on European Union funding programmes for the financial period 2014-2020

Posted on 22 July 2011 |

[Brussels, 20 July 2011] The European Women’s Lobby (EWL), WIDE Network, and the Gender Working Group of CONCORD – the European Confederation of Relief and Development NGOs, call on European and national policy-makers to ensure that EU funding programmes for the 2014-2020 financial period will provide the framework and sufficient financial resources to strengthen the EU commitment to promote women’s rights and gender equality in all areas of its internal and external policies. This paper (...) Read more
EWL News
Ireland: ‘Not Natasha’ Exhibition and Manifesto Event

Posted on 21 July 2011 |

[Brussels, 21 July 2011] The Immigrant Council of Ireland, a member of the EWL Coordination, as part of the national campaign ‘Turn Off the Red Light’, on 7 July launched a photographic exhibition entitled ’Not Natasha’. The exhibition traces the lives or young girls and women caught up in human trafficking for prostitution within Europe.
Dana Popa, the photographer, asks that her images be read through the application of a ‘civic skill’ – a skill activating a ‘civil contract’ between the (...) Read more