European & International News

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

European & International News
UN’s CEDAW Committee rules that national governments are legally obliged to guarantee maternal health services

Posted on 23 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 23 August 2011] The UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in July 2011 issued a landmark decision, ruling on the basis of an individual case that national governments have a legal duty to guarantee that all women in their countries have access to timely, non-discriminatory, and appropriate maternal health services.
The case was brought by the Centre for Reproductive Rights against the government of Brazil.
The Alyne da Silva Pimentel case
Alyne da (...) Read more
European & International News
Pro-natalism in Crisis-ridden Eastern Europe Entraps Young Women

By Masum Momaya for AWID

Posted on 22 August 2011 |

[AWID, 19 August 2011] A wave of shortsighted pro-natalist policies throughout Eastern Europe exposes the failures of neoliberal reform to realize rights for young women in the region.
As another June 12th – Russia’s “National Day” – passed in Moscow, the Kremlin calculated how successful its efforts have been to encourage Russia’s women to have more babies. Worried about declining population numbers, the Russian government has introduced a host of measures designed to encourage procreation. (...) Read more
European & International News
Women building bridges across sectors to transform economic powers

Posted on 22 August 2011 |

[AWID, 05 August 2011] In the current global context of persistent systemic crisis, women’s rights advocates, organizations and movements around the world have been struggling to identify possible alternatives to the neoliberal economic framework that is having a negative impact in the lives of so many people, but disproportionately on women.
By Diana Aguiar and Natalie Raaber
Bridging the gaps between feminist academics and activists is one of the key elements in building a common (...) Read more
European & International News
Turkey - Shadow NGO Report on Turkey’s Initial Periodic Report to the Committee on the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

For submission to the UN CESCR 46th Session

Posted on 22 August 2011 |

[Ankara, May 2011] Submitted by Women for Women’s Human Rights – New Ways, on behalf of the Turkish Penal Code Platform and the Executive NGO Forum on CEDAW - Turkey, this Shadow Report aims to draw attention to the discrimination and the human rights violations that women in Turkey face, within the framework of the Initial Review for Turkey under CESCR to take place in May 2011. The following evaluation and demands are based on the shadow report submitted to the U.N. CEDAW Committee in July (...) Read more
European & International News
First female nominee comes forward in Egypt’s Presidential race and calls for social justice

Posted on 22 August 2011 |

[The WIP, Manar Ammar, Egypt, 16 August 2011] In a sea of local press coverage and media appearances of presidential nominees for Egypt’s upcoming election, Bothaina Kamel’s name is left out. As the country’s first woman to nominate herself for Egypt’s highest position, she is doing more on the ground than any of her male competitors. The 49-year-old former talk show host is no stranger to breaking social norms of what a woman can and cannot do. A self-proclaimed social democrat, her (...) Read more
European & International News
EWL calls for 2013 "European Year of Citizens" to spearhead promotion of equality between women and men

Posted on 18 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 17 August 2011] The European Commission last week proposed to designate 2013 as the "European Year of Citizens", marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of "union citizenship" under the Maastricht treaty.
The plan was announced by Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding, whose portfolio combines citizenship with justice and equality.
The EWL welcomed the announcement, but stressed that the EU must ensure the link between citizenship and equality remains central, and (...) Read more
European & International News
Top European court rules in favour of cross-border social security rights

Posted on 18 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 19 August 2011] On 21 July 2011 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) delivered an important verdict for the protection of the rights of workers moving within the EU with regards to social security rights.
In its ruling of the ‘Case C-503/09 Lucy Stewart’ the European Court of Justice confirms the rights of EU citizens to move to another EU Member State and the right to social security coverage. In the case at hand, Ms Stewart, a 22 year-old national of the United Kingdom, moved to (...) Read more
European & International News
Number of women EU ambassadors rises to 22% of total

Posted on 18 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 17 August 2011] The number of women EU ambassadors has risen to 31 following the appointment of 8 new female heads of delegation by EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton (out of a total of 25 nominations). This compares with only 10 women in such posts when the Lisbon treaty entered into force in 2009.
The appointments bring the percentage of women in the highest diplomatic positions in EU overseas delegations to 22%.
According to Ms. Ashton: "The number of women in this (...) Read more
European & International News
Belgian worker suffers discrimination as a result of pregnancy

Posted on 4 August 2011 |

[Belgium, 4 August 2011] The City Hall of Namur in Belgium has been punished by the Labour Court for discriminating against an employee as a result of her pregnancy.
A woman who was employed for a short-term contract by the town of Namur, claimed that her boss showed disapproval on numerous occasions about staff pregnancy. As a result, after passing the job interview the worker chose to hide her pregnancy. When her contract finished in 2008, the City Hall refused to offer her an extension. (...) Read more
European & International News
UN Women make ten recommendations to make justice work for women

Posted on 1 August 2011 |

[Brussels, 1 August 2011] A report published by UN Women argues that in many countries the “infrastructure of justice—the police, the courts, and the judiciary—is failing women” and needs to be reformed to provide legal support that serves women’s needs.
The report, published in July 2011 and entitled “Progress of the World’s Women: In Pursuit of Justice”, outlines the following 10 recommendations that hold immense potential to increase women’s access to justice and improve gender equality:
1. (...) Read more