Transcript Document

Amare glasura ashunde - Our Voices Heard
Romani Women’s Rights Conference
4th December 2007, Lejondal Castle
Stockholm, Sweden
Kirsti Kolthoff
President
www.womenlobby.org
[email protected]
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NO DEMOCRACY
NO 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
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
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work to achieve equality between women and men
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promote women’s empowerment in all spheres of public and private life
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eliminate all forms of violence against women
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Brings together women’s non -governmental organisations across Europé
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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 Secretariat
(Brussels)
EWL Board of Administration
(34 elected members)
EWL Secretary General
EWL staff
EWL Executive Committee
1 President, 2 Vice Pres, 1 Treasurer,
3 members
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European Women‘s Lobby
(EWL)
EWL Member
organisations
EWL Board members
EWL Executive
Committee
EWL Secretariat
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
(Brussels)
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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 norm
Reconstruct 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 …….
and
Allow national delegations to vote only if they hav
equal representation
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Achieving economic independence of
women
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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)
EWL
Observatory
President,
1 Board representant
EU experts
EWL’s Secretariat
Secretary General
and Team
Dossiers:
Equality & Employment
Social Security
Immigration
Decision making
Violence against women
Projects
Executive
(elected by the Board)
European Policy
Action 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
life
2. Care - care service - and who cares?
3. Eradicating gender-based violence and
trafficking in human beings
4. Eliminating gender stereotypes in society
5. Promoting gender equality outside the EU human rights/external policy/co-operation
development
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Romani women’s rights
Social inclusion
Economic independence
• Employment
• Grey economy - entrepreneurship
Education
Sexual and reproductive rights
Domestic violence
Governments and the EU hold responsible
To 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.”
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