Thanks to the invitation of the European Women's Lobby - Bulgarian Platform, The Wake Up Foundation was a delegate to the annual general meeting of the European Women's Lobby (EWL), which took place on April 19-21 in Bucharest.
The event, which brought together over 100 representatives from 23 European countries, once again united the efforts and shared the experience of dozens of organizations that protect the rights of women and girls. The working sessions and debates were framed by the EWL’s manifesto "Europe at a crossroads. The equal participation of women in all spheres of life - a prerequisite for peace, prosperity and social change". Attention was drawn to the fact that there is a regression in the defense of women's rights in Europe with increasing gender and patriarchal stereotypes. The erosion of fundamental human rights, such as the right to safe abortion and the right to protection from violence, is alarming. The number of women who are killed by their partner on the territory of the European Union continues to grow.
One in three women in the EU has suffered physical or sexual violence, and one in two women over the age of 15 has experienced sexual harassment. The war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East are putting the lives and integrity of women and girls at extreme risk. Therefore, putting women's rights at the heart of European policies is an indispensable condition for the successful implementation of European projects for peace, democracy, equality and solidarity.
The representative of The Wake Up Foundation at the event was Preslava Fentham - Fletcher, who shared:
"Participating in the conference was extremely important for uniting our efforts in defending women's rights in all spheres of life. Managing the largest community of people affected by domestic violence - the facebook group "You are not alone", we know the challenges women are facing, such as equality, economic sustainability, access to justice and the inherent right to a life free from violence."
All those present at the event united in asking MEPs to vote FOR the "Directive on Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence" on April 24. This long-in-the-making document offers more effective and comprehensive protection for women, for example, from sexual exploitation and cyber violence. A legal action that we owe to 250 million women in Europe, including Bulgaria.
The directive is the first EU law to ensure that women victims of violence, including domestic violence, receive appropriate protection, support, access to justice and compensation, regardless of where they live in the EU. This legislation covers not only traditional forms of violence, but also crimes such as female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage, sharing of intimate or manipulated material without consent, cyberstalking, cyberbullying, unwanted receipt of sexual material, online incitement to violence or hatred.
We, The Wake Up Foundation, have appealed to the Bulgarian MEPs to vote FOR this directive, as it is extremely important to uphold women's rights, especially in the changing political environment. This vote will be a springboard for the next representatives of the European Parliament to complete the directive in the upcoming mandate.
Once the directive is adopted, we, as well as all members of the European Women's Lobby, will continue to campaign to extend its scope to tackle all forms of sexual and reproductive exploitation. We will follow the vote tomorrow (24 April) as well as the progress on the adoption of the "Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence".
