European Women's Lobby Newsflash April 2007

EWL publishes the report “Equal Rights, Equal Voices – Migrant women in the European Union”

 This publication presents the result of a three-day event organised by the European Women’s Lobby in January 2007 in Brussels, with the support of the European Programme on Integration and Migration (EPIM) and the Sigrid Rausing Trust. This event was a unique opportunity to bring together migrant women activists from European Union Member States and countries in accession to the EU  for a discussion on the main challenges that migrant women face in terms of integration and empowerment in EU countries. Participants were able to exchange positive and negative experiences and explore together innovative ways to ensure that the particular concerns of migrant women are taken into account by decision-makers. The migrant women participants formulated recommendations around the following main issues:

1.      The legal status of third-country nationals living in the EU and its impact on integration.

2.      Women’s Human rights: violence, sexual and reproductive rights, health of migrant women

3.      Promoting the participation of migrant women in public, political and economic life (education, access to employment, working conditions, decision-making)

4.      Exploring the possibilities to develop and strengthen networking between migrant women and with women’s organisations at national and European level. 

The publication includes the presentations made during the public seminar of the 19^th of January 2007 gathering the migrant women participants and other actors active in the field of immigration, the conclusions of the workshops in closed sessions which followed on 20-21 January, as well as the list of participants. The report is available in English and French upon request at the secretariat or on its website - For more information, contact Clarisse Delorme (delorme@womenlobby.org).