Mikael Gustafsson (Sweden, GUE-NGL)mikael gustafsson web“I say no to men’s rights to buy women in prostitution. I consider prostitution as a form of violence – against mainly women and girls, but also some boys and men. As such it is incompatible with a society which strives to be based on equality and respect for all. As with all forms of gender-based violence, we must increasingly name and target the perpetrator, the men. There would be no prostitution if men did not buy girls and women for sexual purposes. This is why policies must be addressed at reducing “male demand” in prostitution markets. Any attempts to legalise or institutionalise prostitution activities will only fuel abuse and exploitation.
I say no to men’s rights to buy women in prostitution. I say yes to women’s rights to decide freely over their bodies in all matters. Translated into practical public policy terms this means that women in prostitution must be decriminalised and de-penalised, and that the buyers (men) should be penalised. As in Sweden, we will see very good results if we choose this path. But this path takes a lot of political courage – to challenge the economic interests of the powerful sex industry, and last but not least, to challenge old-fashioned ideas about men’s (and women’s) sexuality.”
Nicole Kiil-Nielsen (France, Greens)kiil nielsen web2“As a feminist, I defend an ideal of society where sex doesn’t determine people’s life. This ideal is not compatible with the commodification of women’s body, women being the vast majority of prostituted persons. The system of prostitution as a whole has to be tackled by public policies. This implies: a policy of education to equality and sexuality, the criminalisation of prostitute-users, the support to and reinsertion of prostituted persons, and the fight against trafficking. Prostitution is a form of violence, and doesn’t belong to a society which aspires to equality between women and men.”
Silvana Koch-Mehrin (Germany, ALDE)koch mehrin“I fully endorse the EWL campaign to end prostitution. As Member of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, I continuously support policies aimed at eliminating all forms of discrimination against women. Prostitution is a clear violation of a person’s dignity and human rights. It is incompatible with the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and poses a hidden threat to our society. It reinforces the dominant position of men over women and prohibits the building of an egalitarian and modern society.”
Elisabeth Morin-Chartier (France, EPP)elisabeth morin charter
Mary Honeyball (UK, S&D)mary honeyball web“I fully support the campaign to end prostitution across Europe. Anyone who believes that prostitution has a place within a civilised society is not aware of the reality of the situation; women in prostitution are exploited, vulnerable to violence, they are often victims of abuse, drug dependency, trafficking or coercion. I also believe that the EWL’s focus on engaging with men and changing the attitude of European society is of primary importance. Prostitution is not just a women’s issue, it is an issue for all society and one which affects us more than we realise. In a society where men can expect to purchase women, gender equality will remain a myth. If we want to live in a Europe where women have equal rights and can feel safe and respected, we must work to eliminate prostitution and to create a culture in which it is not permitted or acceptable to purchase the body of another.”
Emer Costello (Ireland, S&D)emer costello website“As a former Lord Mayor of Dublin and Dublin City Councillor, I have long campaigned against the exploitation of women and in particular on the issue of prostitution. I am a firm supporter of the work of the “Turn Off the Red Light” campaign in Ireland which is seeking to bring about both legal and societal change in relation to prostitution. I also fully support the work being done on a European level by the EWL. Prostitution is a form of degradation of women and is completely incompatible with the principle of equality between men and women. I believe that the best way to deal with the issue is to tackle demand. I fully support the call to make the purchase of sex a criminal offence. Moreover, additional supports need to be put in place to help women exit prostitution. Prostitution is not a lifestyle choice and indeed those caught up in it would state that they have had very few choices in life.”
Sophie Auconie (France, EPP)sophie auconie“Prostitution is violence! Being the President of the organisation Femmes au Centre, I cannot but be indignant about all violations of women’s rights. This is the reason why i support the campaign of the European Women’s Lobby. It is not tolerable anymore nowadays to leave some states like France practice a double language on this issue. On the one hand, we prohibit solicitation, and consequently sanction women in prostitution. On the other hand, we tolerate the idea of prostitution through the existence of taxation between the French state and the women. Let us stop hypocrisy! Let us stop political cant! I am convinced that the harmonisation at EU level of policies dealing with prostitution is crucial. It has to go through a reflection on methods for reintegration and support to women willing to exit the system of prostitution.”
Joanna Senyszyn (Poland, S&D)mep senyszyn“I sign the Brussels’ Call because both forced prostitution and trafficking in human beings are serious violations of human rights and criminal offences. Each year hundreds of thousands of women are abused in the European sex industry. Trafficking in women goes beyond borders; therefore, a global European response to this issue is urgently needed, with special emphasis on prevention and victim protection.”
Cecilia Wikström (Sweden, ALDE)cecilia wikstrom
Siiri Oviir (Estonia, ALDE)siiri oviirIn general, a woman’s decision to work as a prostitute is due to the poverty.
That’s why in developed European countries have prostitutes mainly from very poor countries.
I consider those women as victims.
Prostitution is closely linked to organised crime (including drug addiction and money laundering).
I support the criminalization of buying sex.
Véronique de Keyser (Belgium, S&D)veronique de keyser
Kent Johansson (Sweden, ALDE)kent johansson
Silvia Costa (Italy, S&D)silvia costa
Marita Ulvskog (Sweden, S&D)marita ulvskog website“Prostitution is exploitation, violence against women and a tool of oppression. The idea that men need a one group of women to be available for their sexual needs is wrong and founded on structural inequality and a view of women being commodities. If we believe in a world where human rights have supremacy and women and men are equals, prostitution must be fought. We need to raise awareness and stir up the debate. The issue of prostitution must be on the agenda of the EU and also globally. Therefore I am a strong supporter of the EWL campaign “Together for a Europe free from prostitution” and the Brussels’ Call.”Olle Ludvigsson (Sweden, S&D)olle ludvigsson“I support the EWL campaign “Together for a Europe free from prostitution” and the Brussels’ Call because the fact that men can buy women for sex is wrong and reinforces a perception of women being commodities that is detrimental to equal rights and all women. Accepting prostitution is accepting a structure that is reflecting and maintaining inequality between men and women. That has to be changed. We need to make sure that the issue of prostitution reaches the agenda within the EU and that the discussion will lead to a Europe free from prostitution.” Antigoni Papadopoulou (Cyprus, S&D)antigoni papadopoulou“I fully support the EWL’s campaign because prostitution is a severe violation of the human rights of women and a form of modern slavery. EU must harmonise anti-prostitution policies, PREVENT prostitution, PUNISH men “customers” and PROTECT women victims. We must work together for common awareness campaigns all over Europe and the world, sending a clear message for zero tolerance for prostitution, trafficking and violence against women.”
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Online Dictionary
Readable Experience
Content Scaling
Default
Text Magnifier
Readable Font
Dyslexia Friendly
Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Font Sizing
Default
Line Height
Default
Letter Spacing
Default
Left Aligned
Center Aligned
Right Aligned
Visually Pleasing Experience
Dark Contrast
Light Contrast
Monochrome
High Contrast
High Saturation
Low Saturation
Adjust Text Colors
Adjust Title Colors
Adjust Background Colors
Easy Orientation
Mute Sounds
Hide Images
Virtual Keyboard
Reading Guide
Stop Animations
Reading Mask
Highlight Hover
Highlight Focus
Big Dark Cursor
Big Light Cursor
Cognitive Reading
Navigation Keys
Voice Navigation
Accessibility Statement
womenlobby.org
March 23, 2025
Compliance status
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience,
regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level.
These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible
to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific
disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML,
adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Screen-reader and keyboard navigation
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with
screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive
a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements,
alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website.
In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels;
descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups),
and others. Additionally, the background process scans all the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag
for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology.
To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on
as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Disability profiles supported in our website
Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments
Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over seven different coloring options.
Animations – person with epilepsy can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.
Browser and assistive technology compatibility
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers).
Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to