European & International News

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

European & International News
Stop proposed ban on gender reassignment in Lithuania! say members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Posted on 23 October 2011 |

[Transgender Europe, Malmo, 23 October 2011] Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe issued a written declaration on October 5th 2011 (Doc. 12753), which speaks out sharply against the legal proposal to ban gender reassignment in Lithuania. The 30 signees find “this proposal is an egregious attack on the fundamental rights of a highly vulnerable minority, who are in any event at risk of violence and discrimination on a regular basis.” They “call upon the Lithuanian (...) Read more
European & International News
Europeans express a negative view of social protection and inclusion in their countries

Posted on 20 October 2011 |

[Brussels, 20 October 2011] In June 2011, a Survey on the EU’s social climate was undertaken at the request of the EC’s Directorate-General Employment. The results of this Eurobarometer were published on 17 October.
It concludes that although citizens across Europe are relatively satisfied with their personal situation (especially in Nordic and Western European countries) they are more pessimistic about the general and economic situation in their countires.
Furthermore, Europeans are almost (...) Read more
European & International News
No Climate Justice Without Gender Justice: The Urgency of Engendering Climate Justice

Posted on 20 October 2011 |

[Isis International, 18 October 2011] Climate change is a reality that is faced by people and countries in various ways. Some of its effects have been the increasing numbers and intensity of typhoons and the long seasons of drought that have challenged food production, sanitation and have caused increasing health problems. The impacts of climate change aren’t gender neutral. Men and women experience and are affected by climate change differently. This is because of existing gender (...) Read more
European & International News
Sexual And Reproductive Rights: More Than Just Health

Association for Women’s Rights in Development - AWID Friday File

Posted on 20 October 2011 |

[AWID, 21 October 2011] Four years ago, in 2007, a Brazilian judge prosecuted 1,500 women for procuring abortions.[i] That same year, a twenty-year-old woman, Ana María Acevedo, died in Argentina of cancer-related complications because her doctors refused to treat her; she was pregnant and an abortion might have saved her life.[ii]
By Sandra Dughman Manzur with Shareen Gokal
Discriminatory laws and the exercise of control over women’s bodies often justified through arguments based in (...) Read more
European & International News
Scotland - New campaign for rape prevention launched

Posted on 20 October 2011 |

[Glasgow, 20 October 2011] Rape Crisis Scotland has adapted an apt and popular revision of the traditional approach to rape prevention in a new poster and postcard campaign. We hope this will help to reverse the popular trend of focusing rape prevention messages on women and instead transfer these towards more appropriate recipients - potential perpetrators.
You can see the poster here, the front of the postcard here, and the reverse of the postcard here.
Hard copies of posters in A4 and (...) Read more
European & International News
“Care is something that can ensure the inclusion of all in society,” says Heather Roy from Social Platform

Posted on 19 October 2011 |

[Brussels, 19 October 2011] Social Platform is a network of European umbrella non-profits active in the social sector. The main working principles of this association are equality, solidarity, non-discrimination, advocacy of and respect for human rights of everyone in Europe with the focus on the EU member states. European Women’s Lobby, AGE Platform Europe, European Network Against Racism and Mental Health Europe are among the Social Platform members. As its main area of interest for the (...) Read more
European & International News
MEP Jean Lambert supports EWL call for gender perspective in asylum policies

Posted on 19 October 2011 |

[Brussels, 19 October 2011] In a guest posting on Women’s Views on the News, Member of the European Parliament Jean Lambert considers the importance of a gender perspective in European asylum policies, giving credit to the work of the EWL together with Amnesty international and ILGA Europe in this area. Read her article below.
Gender in asylum policies, by Jean Lambert, Member of the European Parliament for the Green party
Picture the scenario.
After being persecuted and violated simply (...) Read more
European & International News
Empowering women powers nations, says president of World Bank

Posted on 18 October 2011 |

[POLITICO, USA, 18 October 2011] Imagine if a city of almost four million people disappeared every year. A Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Yokohama. It would be hard to miss.
Yet it goes largely unnoticed that almost four million girls and women “go missing” each year in developing countries when compared to their female counterparts in developed countries. About two-fifths are never born; a sixth die in early childhood, and more than a third die during their reproductive years.
High mortality (...) Read more
European & International News
Message from the President of the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women

Posted on 15 October 2011 |

This statement was released by H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women.
[United Nations, New York, 15 October 2011] On the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women, I reaffirm the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.
Rural women are the backbone of the economy and society in many countries. (...) Read more
European & International News
Serbia granted EU candidate status

Posted on 13 October 2011 |

[Brussels, 13 October 2011] The European Commission announced yesterday that Serbia will be given EU official candidate status on condition that progress is made on the border dispute with Kosovo by December. Should candidate status be granted, EWL Associate Member Organisation, the Network for the European Women’s Lobby in Serbia, will be invited to apply for full membership of the EWL at the next General Assembly which will take place in May 2012.
For more information on the negotiations (...) Read more