[Brussels, 15 November 2012] The EWL was last night delighted to see its work recognised by fellow EU public affairs professionals with the award of not one but two prizes for its recent work on prostitution and women on boards, out of a total of 11 presented. EWL Secretary General Cécile Gréboval collected the European Public Affairs (EPA) awards on behalf of the organisation, and expressed her sincere gratitude for all the support received from the EWL’s partners and colleagues at the EU level, without whom our accomplishments would not be possible.
Find below more details on the EWL awards below and about the EPA Awards here.
CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR: Together for a Europe Free from Prostitution – European Women’s Lobby
Amongst the many forms of violence against women, prostitution remains a key area where women’s rights are pervasively violated. The EWL in 2010 therefore launched an abolitionist campaign entitled ’Together for a Europe free from prostitution’. The EWL’s campaign to end prostitution is innovative in nature, and has proven highly effective by combining three goals: awareness-raising, advocacy and network building.
The campaign has effectively put the issue of prostitution on the political agenda, both at national and EU level. Using a clear and strong message, the EWL’s campaign has succeeded in convincing stakeholders and having them appropriate the struggle.
At the national level, the EWL supported events organised by its members on the issue of prostitution and trafficking in women for sexual exploitation. Between September 2011 and July 2012, seven events took place, and from September 2012, the EWL will support new ones in Luxembourg, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Sweden.
At European level, the EWL’s campaign continues to gain supporters from the European Parliament, with now 32 supporting MEPs who will participate in the EWL’s forthcoming European conference on prostitution..
REPORT OF THE YEAR: Women on Boards in Europe: from a snail’s pace to a giant leap – The European Women’s Lobby
The report has contributed to the debate regarding gender equality in decision making at EU policy level by providing new viewpoints and evidence to EU policy makers. The report received over 3000 hits in six months and 5300 copies were distributed through e-mail. It was also disseminated through the EWL’s weekly newsletter which has 6000 recipients, Facebook (which has over 6000 friends) and Twitter. Up to 20 different media and webpages have given coverage to the report. It provided evidence on the impact of different measures, including quota, to deal with the problem of the underrepresentation of women on decision making positions.
It contributed in making legal quotas to be considered a viable option. Specifically, the report gave new evidence about the validity of the quota system in light of France’s success. One week after the reports publication, vice president Reding used the same argument to defend the effectiveness of quotas when announcing the launch of a legislative process.
Fittingly, the award for Report of the Year went to the EWL’s publication ‘Women on Boards in Europe: from a snail’s pace to a giant leap’ on the very day of the historic announcement of a quota measure at EU level, demonstrating the impact of the EWL’s work on the EU policy process.
