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Amare glasura ashunde - Our Voices Heard

Romani Women’s Rights Conference4th December 2007, Lejondal CastleStockholm, Sweden

Kirsti KolthoffPresident

www.womenlobby.orgkolthoff@womenlobby.org

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NO DEMOCRACYNO HUMAN RIGHTS

without

WOMEN´S RIGHTS including

ROMANI WOMEN´S RIGHTS

•

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European Women’s Lobby

• Established in 1990

• Membership based women’s organisation from 26 countries - 23 in the EU

• 4000 members - largest umbrella organisations of women’s associations in the European Union (EU)

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Source: Audiovisual Service European Union, CE | Amsterdam | P-002022/10-23

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Europe

Ewl

EU25 Member States: 

•Austria

•Belgium

•Cyprus

•Czech Republic

•Denmark

•Estonia

•Finland

•France

•Germany

•Greece

•Hungary

•Ireland

•Italy

•Latvia

•Lithuania

•Luxembourg

•Malta

•The Netherlands

•Poland

•Portugal

•Slovakia

•Slovenia

•Spain

•Sweden

•United Kingdom

 

Candidate Countries:

•Bulgaria

•Croatia

•Romania

•Turkey

Application Pending:

•Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Population

third largest population bloc in the world after China and India, with more than 450 million inhabitants.

20 official languages

All member states are governed by parliamentary democracy. Seven constitutional monarchies which nevertheless rely on parliamentary government:

1957 six sign the Treaty of Rome establishing the European Economic community

May 1, 2004 biggest enlargement of the EU since the dawn of European construction

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Areas of work of EWL

• Women in decision-making

• Women’s diversity

• Women’s rights at international level

• European gender equality policies

• Violence against women

• Women’s human rights

• Economic and social justice for women

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The EWL Mission • work to achieve equality between women and men

• promote women’s empowerment in all spheres of public and private life

• eliminate all forms of violence against women

• Brings together women’s non -governmental organisations across Europé

• works through democratic processes with its members • for the mainstreaming and monitoring of a feminist gender equality

perspective in all areas of EU policy • for the achievment of parity democracy at all levels

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EWL Structure

EWL Member organisations in Europe National Co-ordinations of women’s NGOs

European Member organisations

EWL General Assembly

(≃100 delegates)

EWL Board of Administration(34 elected members)

EWL Executive Committee

1 President, 2 Vice Pres, 1 Treasurer, 3 members

EWL Secretariat (Brussels)

EWL Secretary General EWL staff

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European Women‘s Lobby (EWL)

EWL Memberorganisations

EWL Board members EWL ExecutiveCommittee

EWL Secretariat(Brussels)

Influence EU Policy

State governments and parliaments

EU parliamentarians

European Parliament (Women‘s Rights‘ Committee)

EU Commission (DG: Employment and Social Affairs)

The Council = the ministers from the member states

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Gender equality

Equality between women and men is • a fundametal principle• an integral and inseparable component of human

rights

Human rights of women are• inalienable, integral and indivisible part of

universal human rights

Human rights of women include their right to have control over and decide freely on

matters related to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health

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Parity democray

Power sharing

Participation on an equal basis - 50/50

Compare to quotas - to achieve fair representation

Women - not ONE category - race, class, ethnicity, national origin, age,

culture, disabled, migrant, Roma -

Deconstruct the white male normReconstruct a multifaceted femal norm

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Election process including nominations

The current system has to be changed with “old” boys networks and habits plus criteria

linked to nationality and political parties

one proposal

Nominate for every position one woman and one man to enable equal representation or …….

andAllow national delegations to vote only if they hav

equal representation

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Achieving economic independence of women

• Pay gap • Pension gap• Time gap and care gap• Poverty and social exclusion, social protection

and health care• Implementation gap - gender pact• Impact of violence against women

Minority women must be given a voice including Romani and Sami and migrant women

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EWL STRUCTURE + NEW BRANCH (EPACoVAW) September 07

4000 member organisations (Women’s national and EU wide organisations)

General Assembly

Board of Administration (elected members)

Executive (elected by the Board)

EWL’s Secretariat

Secretary General and Team

Dossiers:- Equality & Employment- Social Security- Immigration- Decision making- Violence against women

Projects

EWLObservatory

President,

1 Board representant

EU experts

European PolicyAction Centre on

VAW

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Recommendations migrant women

Wish to be included in public and

political life and• Independet legal status • Recognition of professional /academic

qualifications• Document migrant women’s voices

and experiences• Call for EU legal intrument to end

female genital mutilation

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Women and intercultural dialogue

Cultural and religious practices + legal practices

EWL considers it essential to name, expose and condemn practices that violate women’s rights and silence women’s voices

• Include in public and political life• See to and support equal rights to economic

independence, be included in marriage, divorce and inheritance

• See to women’s rightg to autonomy regarding sexual and reproductive choice and health

If not - violation of women’s human rights not to be placed within a cultural context that could conceal the reality

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5 areas of concern for women’s rights and economic independence

1. Enhancing reconciliation of work and family

life2. Care - care service - and who cares?3. Eradicating gender-based violence and

trafficking in human beings4. Eliminating gender stereotypes in society5. Promoting gender equality outside the EU -

human rights/external policy/co-operation development

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Romani women’s rights Social inclusionEconomic independence• Employment• Grey economy - entrepreneurship EducationSexual and reproductive rightsDomestic violenceGovernments and the EU hold

responsibleTo be included in public and political

life

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Quote from the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against women, Yakin Ertûk:

“Compromising women’s rights is not an option.

Therefore, the challenge that confronts us today is to respect and prize our diverse cultures while developing common strategies to resist oppressive practices in the name of culture, and to promote and uphold universal human rights while rejecting encroachments grounded in ethnocentric thinking.”