The state of women's rights in the Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Baltic States: Under Attack and Under Resourced

The state of women's rights in the Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Baltic States: Under Attack and Under Resourced

17. 10. 2022

An executive summary of the report by the Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Baltic States task force of the EWL presented the state of women's rights in this area.  Representatives of CWL participated on the document production.

The CEEBBS Taskforce (hereafter ‘The Taskforce’) was created after the 2014 General Assembly of the EWL to share information and identify common challenges and strategies for action promoting gender equality and a context-sensitive women’s rights agenda in the CEEBBS region. Successive European Gender Equality Indexes (EIGE) demonstrate that progress towards gender equality in the region has stalled. The Taskforce consequently urges immediate action by national and European decision-makers as well as a new political commitment in the region. 

The Taskforce has identified eight key areas of priorities for women’s rights in the region: 

1. Strengthening, supporting and resourcing a strong women’s rights movement in the region.

2. Reclaiming feminism and equality between women and men as European values. 

3. Ensuring women’s economic independence, reducing economic disparities between women and men and urgently tackling poverty-based on gender and other intersecting forms of discrimination. 

4. Increasing women’s participation and representation in politics and increasing the number of feminist politicians in power. 

5. Strengthening accountable and well-resourced gender equality machineries whose mandates will take into account the principle of diversity and will be responsive to the needs of all women and girls.

6. Ending violence against women and ensuring sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. 

7. Ending intersectional discrimination of women from minority groups, including of Romani women and migrant and refugee women. 

8. Maintaining a peaceful Europe by ensuring participation and representation of women in all stages of peace-making processes.