Care is central to the way our societies function, in the Euro-Mediterranean region as elsewhere. It entails a wide variety of activities in sectors such as education, healthcare, childcare, elderly care and domestic work. Care work requires both physical and emotional labour. It results in one person providing services to another when needed, allowing the latter to physically, mentally and emotionally function. This labour is … Continued
The number of cases of violence against women, of any type, has sharply risen since the enactment of Governmental Decree 2020-156 of 22 March 2020, establishing total sanitary confinement aimed at minimising the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 3 May, over 7,000 cases of violence had been reported on the toll-free number opened … Continued
The Federation for Women and Family Planning (FWFP) was established in 1992 in response to a fierce debate surrounding the restriction of women’s access to abortion in Poland. FWFP is the only registered organisation working on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Poland. This puts them under a double pressure as they try and … Continued
The Polish presidential elections, due to be held on 10 May, did not take place. According to the Central Election Commission it was “impossible to vote for candidates”. Poland recently faced serious attacks against democratic pillars such as an independent judiciary, opposition parties, civil society organisations or the media. Such a postponement can pose problems. … Continued
The current lockdown worsens domestic violence: as women’s rights organisations warned, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities estimated that for every three months the lockdown continues, 15 million additional gender-based violence cases can be expected to occur. In addition to economic uncertainties and cramped living conditions, the worrying context created by the COVID-19 can … Continued
Interview with Alev Özkazanç, visiting Scholar at the University of Oxford with the research project on anti-gender movements and gender violence in Europe and Turkey How would you define anti-gender politics in Turkey? Firstly, I must say that the term “anti-gender” and “gender ideology” did not exist in the vocabulary of Turkish gender politics until … Continued
Interview Naima Hamoumi from the Democratic Association of Moroccan Women (ADFM) who joined EuroMed Rights on a mission to Poland and Hungary to monitor the state of anti-gender movements in Eastern Europe What are your impressions after this week in Warsaw and Budapest? I knew it was not easy, but what we learned is more … Continued
Interview with Andrea Pető, Professor in the Department of Gender Studies at Central European University, Budapest, Hungary and a Doctor of Science of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. How does the blatant rejection of “gender ideology” by the Hungarian government influence your work? In what way did it change your way of working? It opened … Continued
Interview with Magdalena Świder, Programme coordinator for Campaign against Homophobia. What is the current state of LGBTQI+ people’s rights in Poland? Right now we are dealing with “LGBT free zones” and resolutions taken by local governments. We try to lobby and send letters to these local governments. We use the resolution from the European Parliament … Continued
Interview with Magdalena Kuruś, Deputy Director of the Department of Equal Treatment of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, and Agata Szypulska, Specialist in the Department of Equal Treatment of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights. The Commissioner also performs the role of the National Independent Equality body. As representatives of … Continued
