In the run-up to the UK referendum on EU membership on 23rd June, Jean Lambert MEP has produced this leaflet about why the European Union is good for women.

There is a great body of EU legal protection which benefits women every day.

EU law makes sure all women are entitled to paid maternity leave and guarantees women cannot be dismissed or their role be reduced whilst on maternity leave.

EU rules ensure part-time workers have the same conditions as those of full-time workers, and give rights to temporary agency workers.

There is important laws to prevent harassment, discrimination, trafficking and domestic violence at EU level. European laws also safeguard many other things important to women.

Leave campaigners will argue that we would keep these rules after a Brexit. But there are no guarantees future UK governments won’t cut regulations they deem ‘red-tape’ for competitiveness-at-all-costs outside the EU.

“Women are better protected thanks to the European Union. By working together across Europe we can end gender inequality once and for all and make sure women and future generations, and the environment we all depend on, are safeguarded,” says Jean.

Why Europe is Important for Women can be downloaded here.

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In the run-up to the UK referendum on EU membership on 23rd June, Jean Lambert MEP has produced this leaflet about why the European Union is good for women.

There is a great body of EU legal protection which benefits women every day.

EU law makes sure all women are entitled to paid maternity leave and guarantees women cannot be dismissed or their role be reduced whilst on maternity leave.

EU rules ensure part-time workers have the same conditions as those of full-time workers, and give rights to temporary agency workers.

There is important laws to prevent harassment, discrimination, trafficking and domestic violence at EU level. European laws also safeguard many other things important to women.

Leave campaigners will argue that we would keep these rules after a Brexit. But there are no guarantees future UK governments won’t cut regulations they deem ‘red-tape’ for competitiveness-at-all-costs outside the EU.

“Women are better protected thanks to the European Union. By working together across Europe we can end gender inequality once and for all and make sure women and future generations, and the environment we all depend on, are safeguarded,” says Jean.

Why Europe is Important for Women can be downloaded here.

The post Why Europe is important for women appeared first on Jean Lambert MEP.

Jean’s contribution can be watched here.

as we look to children’s futures, we can see that many of them face a very uncertain future across this globe – whether that be the impact of climate change, experience of conflict or the gross inequalities that exist both within and between countries.

Transcript below:-

“I too want very much to welcome the cross-party initiative in this House and the substantial resolution that has been tabled. The Convention has been an extremely important initiative and, as we look to children’s futures, we can see that many of them face a very uncertain future across this globe – whether that be the impact of climate change, experience of conflict or the gross inequalities that exist both within and between countries. That is why a revised Children’s Rights Strategy is important for us in this Parliament.

We have yet to deliver, for example, on real gender equality throughout the world, which is having such a major impact on so many girls’ lives, as we have clearly seen from the Sakharov Prize winners of last year and this. They clearly demonstrate also the need for every child to be able to live in peace, free from violence. We trust that the Millennium Development Goals and the post-2015 framework will also help move things forward.”

Yesterday’s EU 2020 Strategy resolution and today’s resolution both make reference to the Commission’s recommendation on investing in children, breaking the cycle and enabling all children to fulfil their potential. I trust that we can bring that perspective into the investment package that was introduced to us today. We need to address the inequality of opportunity faced by many, even in the European Union and even in the richest areas, such as London, which has the highest rate of child poverty in the UK. So there is a lot in which we can invest to help give our children better lives – whether that be housing, better health care or the opportunity to play in a healthy environment. We need to be mainstreaming that way of thinking across all our policy areas.”

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London’s Green MEP Jean Lambert said: “After the European Central Bank (ECB) failed to consider any female candidates for its executive board at all when considering a vacancy last year, this appointment could have been used to set the record straight about womens’ managerial roles at EU level.

“But instead of an open, transparent process at which female finance ministers could have been considered, Mr Dijsselbloem was appointed after a shady backdoor deal.

“This is an assault on transparency, but it is also yet another missed chance to get the gender balance right in management of the Euro crisis.”

There has been no female member of the ECB’s executive board since 2011, a situation compounded by the lack of any female presidents of Eurozone central banks, which sit on the bank’s ‘governing council’.

Ms Lambert has long been a supporter of campaigns to improve gender balance at all levels of political and economic decision-making.

“The reality is the decisions taken by the ECB about managing the crisis affect everyone but are being taken almost exclusively by men,” she added.

“While women make up roughly half of the population – and in the face of growing evidence that they are bearing the brunt of the crisis and its associated austerity – this is just perverse, and is yet more evidence that the ECB is failing the needs of the people it represents.”

Ms Lambert is a member of the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee, where she will present a package of proposals next month to try to protect vulnerable groups from the impact of the Euro crisis.

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She said: “In the 90 years since women won the right to vote in the UK, only 22.5% of MPs are women, according to a new report published by the ‘Counting Women In’ coalition. Less than 18% of UK Cabinet members are women.
“Indeed it has been estimated that a girl born today will be drawing her pension before women have achieved equal representation in the UK.

“The European Parliament – a much more gender neutral establishment – is better: just over one in three MEPs are female, an ever-increasing proportion.

“But equal representation is just one aspect of the discrimination women across the world face daily: women are more likely to be unemployed than men, those with jobs are likely to be paid less, one in four women will be raped or sexually assaulted at some point in their lives.”

“All of this is a fundamental breach of women’s human right not to be discriminated against – and it can, and must, be tackled if there’s only the political will to make it a priority.”

To mark International Women’s Day Ms Lambert will be attending the Refugee and Migrant Woman of the Year Awards 2013 and, tomorrow, the Waltham Forest Women’s Network celebratory event at Walthamstow Academy.

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She will be dancing in Parliament Square – along with thousands of women and men, including prominent elected Greens from across the UK, including Green Party leader Natalie Bennett – in remembrance of the 109 women killed in 2012 in the UK through male violence against women.

The event is part of a global series of parties, demonstrations and protests being held to mark ‘One Billion Rising’ – an initiative which aims to show politicians and law-makers that, with about one-third of women likely to be subjected to serious gender violence in their lifetimes, enough is enough.

Green MP Caroline Lucas will address fellow MPs at the same time during a debate on Protecting future generations from violence against women and girls, calling on the Government to change the law so all schools are required to teach pupils about the extent of gender-based violence – and take a zero-tolerance approach to it.

Ms Lambert said: “Violence against girls and women is always unacceptable, yet it is happening on a massive scale: campaigners estimate one in three women worldwide – that’s the best part of a billion people – are raped or beaten each year. Hence One Billion Rising as the campaign theme.

“Whether it takes the form of sexual violence, systematic discrimination or denial of rights or access to resources, gender-based violence is a breach of human rights – and must be stamped out.

“I hope Londoners will get behind the campaign – and dance on Valentine’s Day, whether in Parliament Square or elsewhere, to show that they won’t tolerate living in a city where violence against women and girls takes place, often with impunity, day after day.”

The campaign has been organised by the V-Day Movement, a global campaign against violence to women and girls that has raised over $90 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, reopened shelters, and funded over 14,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, the USA, Egypt and Iraq.

It aims to mobilise one billion people around the world to make their opposition to all gender-violence, especially rape, known on February 14th, either by dancing, making a video, publicising the event at work: hundreds of events have already been organised around the world, 15 in London alone.

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Women who participated in the Elevate – Management & leadership training for women programme –celebrated today the achievements of this 2-year project at the project’s final event at City Guildhall in London. They were joined by numerous guests including Jean Lambert, the London’s Green Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

Jean said:
“Elevate has provided an extremely valuable and positive project in really aiming to meet the needs of women in management. This has fulfilled a need in society and also looked at innovative practice including the environmental dimension, which in my view is essential to any well run organisation.  The results and success of the project speaks volumes about women’s ability to lead in the work place. ”

Over the past 2 years, Elevate helped over 220 women from across London through training in management and leadership with the ultimate aim of promoting gender equality in the workplace. This led to the achievement of 100 units towards National Vocational qualifications units at Level 3 or 4. Support available also included one-to-one or group coaching. The initiative was particularly successful in reaching out to women from ethnic minorities (69% of participants) and those working for the community and voluntary sector. Additionally, it also included 4 networking events on sustainable development which helped to raise awareness of green issues.

Feedback from participants and findings from the external evaluation have highlighted the project’s success in meeting and exceeding the expectations of women. The large majority of participants felt that the training helped their confidence and will improve their careers prospects. The women’s only approach, the availability of individual coaching as well as childcare and travel bursaries were emphasised as particularly effective elements of Elevate in helping women to overcome barriers to progression at the workplace.

The programme funded by the European Social Fund and the London region Learning and Skills Council was delivered through a partnership between the Women’s Resource Centre (WRC), as lead partner, and AdviceUK, Aspire Training and Coaching, Social Enterprise London, The Innovatory, and Yvonne Field Associates.

ENDS

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