EWL News

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EWL News
Letter to the Belgian Presidency regarding the Directive on combating violence against women

Posted on 26 January 2024 |

[26 January 2024, Brussels] Disappointed by the most recent developments in these last weeks of negotiations on the first-ever EU law to combat violence against women, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) sent a letter to the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
EWL members across Europe are outraged by the disgraceful decision of the Council of the EU, led by the Belgian Presidency, to persist in blocking a consent-based definition of rape (based on the standards of the (...) Read more
EWL News
For COP28 the EWL demands mainstreaming gender equality in climate policies beyond finance

Posted on 23 November 2023 |

[Brussels, 23 November 2023] For COP28 the EWL calls upon EU and worldwide decision-makers to empower women and girls through climate change and environmental policies and to apply gender mainstreaming to those.
This year’s COP28 mostly envisions focusing on gender equality in the framework of finance. A more efficient allocation of resources is indeed critical to ensure that women and girls equally benefit from the green transition. Gender budgeting is essential for such transition to (...) Read more
EWL News
International Youth Day 2023 - Young Women Advocates for Human Rights, Participation and Social Justice

European YWCA’s Submission for IYD 2023

Posted on 12 August 2023 |

Young Women Advocates for Human Rights, Participation and Social Justice
European Youth Centre Budapest 5-9 September 2022
Twenty-nine young women from eleven countries took part in our Study Session on leadership and advocacy skills for young women. Two young women were external trainers; one was a previous study session participant, originally from Belarus, and the other, a young woman who is part of the #iwill movement. See what Grace wrote here.
The context was the post-pandemic (...) Read more
EWL News
International Youth Day 2023 - Voices of Young Women With Disabilities

Posted on 12 August 2023 |

What would you like the EU Commission and the Parliament to do for young persons with disabilities in the next mandate?
The perspective of young women is central to the reply to this question. Tamara Byrne and Nina Portolan from the European Disability Forum’s Youth Committee have elaborated on this:
Tamara: Fully Inclusive higher Education. I would like to see a system in place that allows young people with disabilities to access a fully inclusive higher education model. A fully (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL calls for the swift adoption of a robust Directive that includes the criminalisation of rape

The trialogue negotiation on the Directive on violence against women and domestic violence kicked off last week

Posted on 19 July 2023 |

The European Women’s Lobby delivered more than 81,500 signatures in support of a strong EU Law to combat violence against women to Minister of Justice of Spain, Ms Pilar LLOP, Commissioner for Equality, Ms Helena DALLI, MEPs Co-rapporteurs FEMM and LIBE, Ms Frances FITZGERALD (EPP, Ireland) & Ms Evin INCIR (S&D, Sweden).
[18 July 2023, Brussels] - Last week’s Strasbourg Plenary session marked a historic moment for women’s rights: the European Parliament (EP) adopted a strong (...) Read more
EWL News
Equality Model Now!

MEPs confirm their abolitionist position for a Europe free from violence against women and girls

Posted on 12 July 2023 |

[12 July 2023, Strasbourg] Some MEPs supporting the Equality Model joined the European Women’s Lobby for a photocall to celebrate the adoption of the Initiative report on prostitution that took place in the FEMM Committee on 27 June. We count on the rest of MEPs to confirm this position and to deliver a similarly powerful message for women and girls during the September plenary session vote. In Europe, women account for 90% of persons in prostitution and 87% of victims of trafficking of (...) Read more
EWL News
Meet Iliana Balabanova, EWL’s new President!

Posted on 21 June 2023 |

On 11 June 2023, the Board of Administration of the European Women’s Lobby elected a new President for 2023-2025.
We are pleased to welcome and introduce [*Iliana Balabanova*], President and cofounder of the Bulgarian Platform of the EWL, as our new President!
Before jumping into tackling the many tasks that come with her new role, Iliana shared with us her background, motivation and vision for the feminist movement in Europe and globally. From growing up in socialist Bulgaria to (...) Read more
EWL News
A busy weekend for women’s rights - 100 feminist activists gather in Brussels

Posted on 8 June 2023 |

[Brussels, 8 June 2023] This weekend from 9-11 June 2023, over 100 feminist activists from across Europe will come together for EWL’s annual General Assembly.
The EWL members will meet in person in Brussels for the first time after several years of online meetings. Following the exciting and long awaited news about the EU accession to the Istanbul Convention and amidst the ongoing negotiations around the proposal for the EU Directive on combating violence against women and domestic (...) Read more
EWL News
EWL Gender Budgeting Toolkit now translated into eight new languages

Posted on 10 March 2023 |

Gender budgeting is a method to address gender inequalities. It recognises that budgets impact women’s and men’s lives differently, and that women face specific obstacles resulting from the historical, traditional and stereotypical distribution of power and labour. Not taking these differences into account when planning public budgets often inadvertently perpetuates gender inequalities.
The European Women’s Lobby and its members have been working to demystify gender budgeting concepts through (...) Read more
EWL News
Towards Equality: calling on the EU to legislate against all forms of violence against women and girls, including prostitution and sexual exploitation

Posted on 16 December 2022 |

[Brussels, 16 December 2022] At the dawn of the European Parliament’s discussions on the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence and as an initiative report on the cross-border implications of prostitution will be introduced to MEPs at the beginning of 2023, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) and the Brussels’Call launch the ‘Towards Equality - Progress,challenges and next steps’ briefing paper. Completing the ‘Her Future is Equal’ briefing paper, this new brochure (...) Read more