Violence against women is often associated with femicides. According to Stop Feminicide blog, created by feminist associations, 21 women have already been killed in 2019 for the simple fact that they are women. In total since 2017, when the blog was created, 99 feminicides have been identified in Belgium. There is no official figure on the issue, however, and the number of femicides could be higher. The association account is based on a relative media exposure.

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For the first time in the European Union’s history, a woman – Ursula von der Leyen – was elected as the President of the European Commission on 16 July 2019. This is a significant step towards true representation of European citizens in leadership positions, with women making up just over half of the European population. The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) welcomes this achievement and is looking forward to working with the new President-elect in delivering on her strong commitment to gender equality, parity democracy and women’s rights.

Ursula von der Leyen committed to several of EWL’s key demands set out in the 2019 European elections manifesto during her hearings with European parliamentary political groups. On 15 of July 2019 during her address to the European Parliament, she stated: “We [women] represent half of our population. We want our fair share.” She added, on the specific issue of parity in the College of Commissioners: “And I will start at home by example: I will ensure full gender equality in my College of Commissioners. If Member States do not propose enough female Commissioners, I will not hesitate to ask for new names. Since 1958 there have been 183 Commissioners. Only 35 were women. That is less than 20%”. Finally, she expressed her commitment on working on violence against women and girls: “We also need to talk openly about violence against women. If 1 in 5 women have already suffered physical or sexual violence in the European Union and 55% of women have been sexually harassed, this is clearly not a women’s issue. I will propose to add violence against women on the list of EU crimes defined in the Treaty. And the European Union should join the Istanbul Convention.”

The EWL particularly welcomes the President-elect’s commitment in seeking to establish EU level legislation to eradicating violence against women and girls. Gwendoline Lefebvre, President of the EWL, said: “Together with our EWL members and Observatory experts on violence against women, we have been working for more than 20 years to raise awareness on the reality and the persistence of violence against women and girls and its impact on all women and girls. We have also worked intensively to ensure that violence against women is considered a top priority in the political agenda. The EWL is happy to finally see that violence against women and girls is recognised as a European issue that requires a European policy response. Inclusion of violence against women as a Eurocrime and the introduction of a Directive to combat violence against women would save lives. Strong action at EU level is key”.

Joanna Maycock, Secretary General of the EWL, also insisted that, “The most important thing we would like to see is a full political strategy at EU level for achieving equality between women and men. Women are still second-class citizens in Europe and we need Europe to show that it’s willing to put this issue as one of its top priorities. It is now time for the EU to concretely act and the EWL will be watching to ensure the new leadership of the Commission walks the talk. Now that the EU leadership finally entered the 21st century, we must take action to deliver equality for all women and girls. »

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The European Women’s Lobby will continue to advocate for a feminist Europe, a Europe that leaves no one behind and includes all women in their diversity. We want to reiterate that the European elections are a first step: we now call on all Member States, the European Commission and newly elected MEPs to ensure parity in the college of Commissioners. It is time to see women in the leadership of the European Institutions: as Presidents and Vice Presidents of the Commission and Parliament.

“We now need to focus on the future of the European Union. We ask from the Member States that they each propose two people for the role of European Commissioner, at least one of them being a woman. It will offer more diversity of experience, background and perspectives to choose from and will benefit all people in Europe”, stated Gwendoline Lefebvre, President of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL).

The EWL will gather all its members, at the beginning of June where we will further analyse those results and strategise for the years to come to ensure the European Union works for women. We will be discussing this particular topic with female politicians, activists, thought leaders in the feminist movement and citizens on 6 June during our sold-out flagship event with Former French Minister of Women’s Rights Najat Vallaud-Belkacem.

“It is essential that the future European Commission both adopt a strong political Strategy on Equality between women and men and establishes a Commissioner with sole responsibility to ensure women’s rights are put at the centre of the European political project during the next five years. The EWL will keep on mobilising and engaging with all stakeholders, partners and citizens to ensure the EU works for all people and the planet” added Joanna Maycock, Secretary General of the EWL.

To learn more about our demands to the newly elected MEPs and the future Commission, you can refer to the Manifesto. #WomenforEurope #EuropeforWomen. »

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Over the past century, the perception and role of women in Western countries has changed considerably – while in a country such as India, there is still a long way to go to overcome certain discriminative values and traditions, making women victims.

“Project Why” is an Indian NGO established in 2000 by Anouradha Bakshi, which challenges the awareness of the existing inequalities through the empowerment of women. Claire di Felice volunteered for two months in a vocational training centre for women from an underprivileged background in Madanpur Khadar.

Based on her experience, she described the work of the NGO in this district with some 15,000 inhabitants in the Southern part of New Delhi, inhabited mostly by first or second generation migrants from other Indians states such as West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, or Rajasthan.

Since 2007, over a thousand women have been trained in order to provide them with the means to earn a livelihood – transforming their lives by boosting their confidence and skills, enabling many to become independent business entrepreneurs. Thanks to this NGO, numerous women realised their potential in taking control of their life, while also ensuring a brighter future for their children and generations to come.

The presentation was received by the audience (some 50 participants from over 20 countries) with enthusiasm and the willingness not only to financially support the cause, but also to increase its effectiveness by offering a series of recommendations.

What resonates with this NGO’s work is that indeed when you educate a man, you educate an individual, but when you educate a woman, you educate a generation.

For more information find them on Instagram and Facebook at @projectwhydelhi.

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Welcoming the recent adoption by the Council on the Work-Life-Balance Directive, which is a step in the right direction, we must not forget that gender equality has not been achieved in any EU Member State.

Nonetheless, the EWL highlights that women’s position on the labour-market continues to be characterised by low pay, poor working conditions and the fact that women shoulder the bulk of unpaid care responsibilities. These trends withhold women (51 % of EU’s population) from participating in and making their full contribution to society. The needs for care services are not being met and the potential to create quality jobs is missed. We call for greater investments in the care economy, a ‘care guarantee’ to address care needs throughout the life-cycle. Stringent European targets on care are needed as well as strong measures to speed up the implementation of the 2002 so-called Barcelona childcare targets.

Women’s employment rate remains lower than men’s, the gender pay gap has been persistent for decades, resulting in a staggering gender pension gap of almost 40% on average in the EU. “This is intolerable and has to be addressed.” stated Ms Ana Sofia Fernandes, EWL Vice-President. “Our manifesto calls for a robust political strategy on equality between women and men covering the span of the European political mandate 2019-2024, reflecting the EU’s obligation to ensure equality between women and men. We also call for macro-economic framework, post 2020 that puts gender equality at the heart of economic and social development, and this includes gender budgeting and specific funds for women’s rights in the MFF to restore the imbalances,” she said.

The Informal EPSCO meeting provides the opportunity to address these to ensure that all women are guaranteed their full and equal economic independence.

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Mariana Batista, intern at SB OverSeas, shares her take-aways from a recent conference hosted by the UN University where SB OverSeas gave a presentation:

Women are not victims, and when empowered and included in peacekeeping operations, solutions are much more tangible and sustainable. This was the central message that resonated from a discussion on International Women’s Day at the UN University, of what could happen when women are given leadership roles in post-conflict situations and what can happen when they are empowered in their everyday lives.

The United Nations University on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) invited SB OverSeas to be part of the panel discussion in their workshop in Bruges on “Women in Conflict and Emergencies: Lessons Learned and the Way Forward.” The panel consisted of academics, students, and practitioners from all across the board in this field of study. The speakers included: Dr. Vanessa Newby, Dr. Adriana Banozic, Louma Albik, and two research interns Olga Petrova, and Nani Makubalo.

As these emotional stories of empowerment came to the forefront, it was clear that the energy in the room had changed. There was an urgent feeling of motivation and encouragement to research more, to bring data to light, and to change the way we describe women.

The topic of this year’s panel discussion revolved around potential remedies on how to address social violence and conflict and how to promote gender equality and women’s rights. The panel discussion began with the role of women in peacekeeping operations and the importance of female representation in conflict-driven areas.

Louma Albik, the chairwoman of SB OverSeas, provided on the ground perspectives and recounted her testimony of what empowerment of women truly looks like. SB Overseas runs schools and centres in Lebanon for Syrian refugee women and youth. She presented the work SB OverSeas has been doing at the three women’s centres in Lebanon, which focus on vocational training, psychological support, and literacy programmes. These programmes are fundamental to the empowerment of women and youth in post-conflict settings. The stories recounted varied, but they all had one commonality; the more women were included and participated in programs that gave them the tools to better themselves, they more likely they were to better the lives of others around them.

The discussion also extended beyond conflicts, focusing on the role of women in natural disasters. Through various fieldwork studies, it was shown that women who had a role in the post-disaster operations were able to minimize risks and work better in a team setting which led to a positive progression in the recovery of a disaster.

As the workshop came to an end, we could not help to think of all the things that are still understudied, all the programs that still need developing, and all the discourse about women that must be changed. However, on this particular day, a day of celebrating women, I could not help but feel a strong sense of empowerment and hope. Thanks to this workshop, and many of its kind, and all the amazing work these women, and millions of others have done, we are one step closer to celebrating women every day.

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Women and the digital revolution- What impact? What role can they play?

What is needed for you to thrive in the digital economy?

The digital disruption is impacting us all and re-shaping the job market. What’s the impact on women? How do you feel about it? By completing this survey, you will:
– Gain insights on how the digital age could impact you as a woman and your career
– Get some ideas on opportunities/challenges for career success in the digital age
– Help organisations offer adequate and appropriate support for you and other women in digital transformation

A few definitions

– By digital age we mean the age of technological disruption that expands into all areas of our lives, providing new tools that are revolutionising the way we live, the way we buy, the way we work, and the way companies and society operate and communicate.

– By digital skills we mean skills that enable people to create and share digital content, communicate and collaborate, develop new ways of working using digital channels, and solve business problems using digital solutions.

Confidentiality: 
All data will be analysed and reported in aggregate to ensure strict confidentiality and anonymity.

You make complete the survey by following this webpage.

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