Members News

Members News
Ireland: Ratification of the Istanbul Convention marks a momentous International Women’s Day

Posted on 8 March 2019 |

[Dublin, 8 March 2019. Press release by NCWI - the National Women’s Council of Ireland] NWCI today welcomed the International Women’s Day ratification of the Istanbul Convention, after a long campaign by women’s groups and organisations working to end violence against women.
Orla O’Connor, Director of NWCI said,
“This International Women’s Day is a landmark day for women in Ireland, with the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women, or (...) Read more
Members News
The abolitionist law strengthened, the way open to its full application

Posted on 1 February 2019 |

[Paris, 1 February, 2019] Herstory is made! Our members in France Coordination française pour le Lobby Européen des Femmes with feminist groups Mouvement du Nid France and Osez le féminisme ! react to the decision of the French Constitutional Court this morning which upholds the French #EndDemand law on prostitution of 2016 as constitutional! The law decriminalises those affected by the prostitution system and prohibits the purchase of sexual acts. It also ensures there are funded exit & (...) Read more
Members News
The EWL mobilises across Europe to end violence against women and girls

16 days of activism to end violence against women

Posted on 10 December 2018 |

[Brussels, 10 December 2018] From the 25th of November, the International day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to today 10th of December, International Human Rights Day, the European Women’s Lobby and our members got mobilised across Europe calling to end violence against women and girls. Find below several examples of our actions and events during the 16 days of activism to end violence against women and girls.
Belgium In Belgium, in the context of the Orange the World (...) Read more
Members News
Turkish Parliament is preparing itself for ’A Male Dominated Period’ again!

Posted on 22 June 2018 |

[Istanbul, 22 June 2018, Press Release by EWL Turkish members KA.DER] Only a few days to the June 24 elections, when the complete candidate lists submitted to the Supreme Election Council are observed, the most salient issue is that how ’tight’ the political parties are again regarding the representation of women. As a result of a male dominated political structure vision, of the 4200 candidates, only 931 of them are women; and only 5.4% of these 931 candidates are listed first. With (...) Read more
Members News
La Manada Case; Spanish feminist movement highlights Europe’s need for uniform legal definition on rape

Posted on 1 June 2018 |

[Brussels 22 May 2018] Rape continues to be one of the most devastating forms of violence against women, yet it is too often a taboo subject and thus remains shrouded in silence. On April 26th, the Provincial Court of Navarre published its judgement on the horrifying La Manada Case, otherwise known as “The Wolf Pack Case” sending shockwaves across Europe.
Our members, LEM España, alongside tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets of the main cities in Spain to protest the court’s (...) Read more
Members News
#Repealthe8th

Posted on 16 May 2018 |

[Brussels, 16 May 2018 ] On Friday, 25th May 2018 Ireland will hold a national referendum on maternal and reproductive rights. Currently Ireland has one of the most restrictive laws on access to abortion in Europe, and pregnant women and girls are not treated with the respect and dignity afforded others when accessing healthcare.
The referendum will ask the Irish people whether to remove the Eighth amendment to the Irish Constitution, first introduced in 1983: ‘The State acknowledges the (...) Read more
Members News
Ratification of the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention: European Countries defy Opposition

Posted on 16 April 2018 |

[Brussels, 16 April, 2018] The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Croatia become the 29th and 30th European countries to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, the Istanbul Convention. The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) welcomes this significant step and also supports the progress made in the Greek parliament, which has passed the necessary changes within its penal code in order to fully ratify the Convention (...) Read more
Members News
Solidarity with Danish sisters as employers threaten to impose massive lockout

Posted on 14 March 2018 |

[Copenhagen, 14 March 2018, news from EWL Danish members] Over the past months, Danish trade unions have been trying to negotiate a new collective agreement to keep public sector wages in line with wage developments in the private sector and a decrease of the gender pay gap. The employers have not only failed to come up with a reasonable offer but have threatened to impose a massive lockout across the public sector.
In order to strengthen their negotiating position the unions announced (...) Read more
Members News
Rural Women – Priority theme of CSW 62

Posted on 12 March 2018 |

[Brussels, 12 March 2018] The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is taking place in New York from 12-23 March 2018. All information regarding the CSW can be found here.
The priority theme is rural women, a theme previously discussed in 2012, for which no agreed conclusions were reached. The EWL member, the women’s committee of COPA – European Farmers, has produced their statement, which is available in a number of languages.
The Swedish Women’s Lobby submitted a statement on the review (...) Read more
Members News
Manifesto: Women Refugees Safety

Posted on 6 March 2018 |

[The Hague, 6 March 2018] "A major world issue translated into practical tools", that was the reaction of Leontien Kompier to the Manifesto Women Refugee Safety that was officially presented on 6 March to politicians, municipalities and NGOs in the Netherlands
Kompier, former mayor of Vlagtwedde with the largest asylum seekers’ center in the Netherlands (Ten Apel), was asked to open the ceremony. She called the Manifesto ’sharply worded’ and the recommendations about what could be better when (...) Read more