[09 April 2021, Brussels] On 6 April, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, met in Ankara with the President of the Turkish Government, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, in what seems to have been a deliberate diplomatic slight, there was no chair for her to sit at the official meeting.
Sadly, this is representative of the way in which deeply rooted sexist attitudes affect women in all areas of life: in politics, in the workplace and in the wider society.
The prevalence of everyday sexism continues to suppress and oppress women and girls; it aims to silence them and keep them in a subordinate place. We are clear that male violence against women is enrooted in a culture of sexism in our societies, and it is only through holistic structural reforms across all areas of work, culture and social life that we can eradicate this shadow-pandemic.
The European Women’s Lobby condemns the sexist attitude of the Turkish government in disrespecting one of the main leaders of the EU, the first ever woman President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The Turkish government’s growing attitudes of disrespect for the rights of all women and girls are apparent, including most recently through the announcement of its intention to withdraw from the Convention for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women and Domestic Violence – Istanbul Convention.
The failure of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to adequately react in this sad episode is dismaying. In his lack of reaction, he is complicit with the Turkish government’s disrespectful attitude toward the President of the European Commission and all women she represents. The President of the European Council fell far short of his obligation to uphold and embody the values of the European Union to respect and advance equality between women and men.
We expect all EU Member States and the European Parliament to strongly condemn the attitude of the Turkish government that affects not only the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, but the dignity of the position she holds, and that of all women and girls.
Furthermore, we call on all EU Member States to pass legislation in line with the CoE’s Committee of Ministers’ adopted Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)1 – Preventing and Combating Sexism. In line with the EWL collaborative project supported by the Council of Europe #MobiliseAgainstSexism together with nine national coordination members from Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, and Spain.
We call on the EU to act in a united way to protect women and girls and end all forms of male violence. The EU and Member States need to ratify the Istanbul Convention and ensure that its provisions are implemented consistently everywhere in the EU at all times. The EU urgently needs legislation to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls in the form of a comprehensive Directive on all forms of violence against women and girls, including sexual exploitation and online violence.
We also call on the Member States to adopt legislation to ensure equal representation of all women in all decision-making spheres, and to demand from the Council to unblock the Women on Boards Directive. Women around Europe cannot wait longer for equal treatment of women and girls as enshrined in the Treaties. European Women’s Lobby welcomes the European Commission’s proposed Directive on Equal Pay and calls on the EU Member States to support this proposal.
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Accessibility Statement
womenlobby.org
March 29, 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
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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;
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
