Women Shaping the Future of Europe
EWL Annual Review 2002 final may 3 The Annual Report of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) for 2002 is being prepared at a time of deepening global crisis, with the threat of war looming ever larger. The General Assembly of EWL, meeting in September 2002, unanimously agreed a Declaration Against War which has since been signed by over 100 women’s organisations. In this Declaration, we call on the governments of Europe to pursue all avenues to reach a peaceful resolution. We point out that women are the first to be silenced in a culture of militarisation and war, and that modern warfare disproportionately affects civilian populations, especially women and children. Violence against women and girls in conflict and post conflict situations is extreme, systematic and widespread.