Members News

Members News
International Women’s Day 2021: A Statement by Soroptimist International of Europe

Posted on 8 March 2021 |

Soroptimist International of Europe is a global network of active women volunteers, with more than 31,000 members and 1200 Clubs, working in 5 federations in a total of 72,000 members worldwide, passionately contributing for projects and advocacy.
Our goal is to ensure that women’s future will be more equal and that future generations of girls will be raised in a world free of violence, equipped with education, enjoy all legal rights without discrimination, with care work being duly paid (...) Read more
Members News
Purple Pact now available in Portuguese!

Posted on 9 February 2021 |

[Brussels, 9 February 2021] Thanks to the work of our members, Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights., the EWL’s publication “Purple Pact: A feminist approach to the economy” is now available in Portuguese. Purple Pact the result of the EWL feminist economics working group and provides analysis and recommendations to rethink the current macro-economic system from a critical feminist perspective.
The Purple Pact challenges the current macro-economic model founded on unsustainable growth, at (...) Read more
Members News
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

A statement by Soroptimist International of Europe

Posted on 9 February 2021 |

Female genital mutilation comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons (WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, 1997 Joint Statement).
Nearly 200 million women and girls around the world have been harmed with FGM, mostly aged 15 or up to 49, mostly in the 30 countries of Africa, Middle East and Asia where it is prevalent.
In the majority of cases, it is perpetrated to young girls, without (...) Read more
Members News
Young Feminist Weekend 2020

Reflections from young feminists

Posted on 9 February 2021 |

The Young Feminist Weekend brings young feminists in the Netherlands together for a 3-day event with the goal to research, understand and apply the concept of intersectionality within the Dutch feminist movement in order to achieve positive change.
Read the reflections from two young feminists and watch some of the highlights in the video below!
**Young Feminist Weekend 2020 in COVID times
by Denise Sarfo
2020 was an intense year for many of us. We were faced with a global pandemic (...) Read more
Members News
Civil society praises Portugal’s focus on the equality agenda

Posted on 25 January 2021 |

Civil society organizations praise the focus of the Portuguese presidency of the European Union (EU) on the equality agenda, but expect concrete advances in the directives on quotas in company administrations and wage transparency.
This article was originally published in Notícias ao Minuto.
In an interview with Lusa, Ana Sofia Fernandes, vice-president of the European Women’s Lobby, recalls that this European Commission, when it took office, committed itself to a directive on wage (...) Read more
Members News
International Day of Education 2021 – Supporting COVID-19 Generation

Posted on 25 January 2021 |

The third International Day of Education (January 24) was marked on Monday 25 January 2021 under the UNESCO theme ‘Recover and Revitalize Education for the COVID-19 Generation’.
Our member Soroptimist International of Europe published the following statement on that occasion.
[Brussels, 25 January 2021] Education is the key to personal development and the future of sustainable societies. It is the bedrock of social cohesion, well-being and opportunity.
As the new year is just beginning, (...) Read more
Members News
Civil society praises Portugal’s focus on the equality agenda

Posted on 25 January 2021 |

Civil society organizations praise the focus of the Portuguese presidency of the European Union (EU) on the equality agenda, but expect concrete advances in the directives on quotas in company administrations and wage transparency.
This article was originally published in Notícias ao Minuto.
In an interview with Lusa, Ana Sofia Fernandes, vice-president of the European Women’s Lobby, recalls that this European Commission, when it took office, committed itself to a directive on wage (...) Read more
Members News
4 November: Marking the EU’s Equal Pay Day - Time for Action to Close the Gender Pay Gap

Posted on 4 November 2020 |

[Brussels, 4 November 2020] In the EU, women are paid on average 16% less than men. This equals two months’ salary less than men per year. This is enough. We need action now! 4 November marks the EU’s Equal Pay Day that aims ‘to raise awareness that female workers in Europe still earn on average less than their male colleagues.’
The EWL supports the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) action to put pressure on the European Commission to come forward with the promised legal framework on (...) Read more
Members News
Women’s organizations in Turkey say “no” to amnesty for perpetrators of sexual abuse of children and to child marriage

Posted on 15 July 2020 |

[Istanbul, 6 July 2020] (Press release by the Women’s Platform Against Amnesty for Child Sexual Abusers. Avrupa Kadın Lobisi Türkiye Koordinasyonu (EWL Coordination for Turkey is part of this Platform.)) Women’s organizations in Turkey are resisting a draft amendment that would let perpetrators of child sexual abuse walk free if they marry their victims.*
The amendment to Article 103 of the Turkish Penal Code (TPC) is expected to come before the Turkish Parliament by July 15. In 2016, a (...) Read more
Members News
Implementing the Erasmus+ Go Digital project across Europe

Lithuanian Women’s Lobby

Posted on 15 July 2020 |

[Brussels, 15 July 2020] The Lithuanian Women’s Lobby, national coordination of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) have successfully released the first results of the Go-Digital Project; a European Commission Erasmus+ funded project which seeks to improve the competencies of adult educators in order to increase women’s employment in the digital sector.
The growth of the digital labour market and increased use of digital technologies within the world of work in Europe is clear; the ongoing (...) Read more