Brussels Post

United in Diversity
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2025

EU Parliament Members Call for EU Leadership in Global Battle for Women's Rights Amid Rising Opposition

EU Parliament Members Call for EU Leadership in Global Battle for Women's Rights Amid Rising Opposition

The European Parliament urges stronger EU measures on gender equality, reproductive rights, and fighting violence in preparation for the 2025 UN Commission on the Status of Women.
The European Parliament has approved a set of recommendations urging the European Union to lead in promoting women's rights worldwide, especially against the increasing international opposition to gender equality.

These recommendations, finalized on Thursday, will shape the EU's stance at the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in March 2025 in New York. The resolution, passing with 322 votes for, 163 against, and 46 abstentions, calls for the EU to reaffirm its commitment to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a pivotal framework for gender equality often described as the 'international Bill of Rights for women.' MEPs denounced 'all efforts to reverse, restrict, or eliminate existing protections for gender equality,' noting the rise of anti-rights movements threatening progress from recent decades.

They stressed the need for the EU to lead by example, ensuring women's rights remain central to its external policy and supporting partner countries in combating gender discrimination.

The resolution highlights the EU's duty to promote equality not only within its borders but also globally. To achieve equal opportunities for women across all aspects of life, MEPs called for gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting in all relevant EU policy areas.

They emphasized the importance of better gender-disaggregated data collection for informed policymaking.

The resolution also pointed out the need to tackle the systemic causes of women's poverty, particularly in rural areas.

MEPs urged the EU to enforce equal pay and pensions, increase women's political representation, and ensure access to education, training, and work opportunities for women and girls.

They also advocated for more support for female entrepreneurship and economic independence. On healthcare, MEPs argued for comprehensive health services for all women, including reproductive health care, contraception, and safe and legal abortion.

They emphasized the need for a stronger response to gender-based violence, whether online, offline, domestic, sexual, physical, psychological, or economic.

MEPs called on all EU member states to ratify the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

They also recommended adopting a consent-based definition of rape as a universal standard across the EU, noting the significant impact of online gender-based violence on women’s mental health. Lina Gálvez (S&D, Spain), rapporteur and Chair of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, stressed the resolution's urgency.

'At the current pace, it will take 286 years to close the gaps in legal protection and eliminate discriminatory legislation for women globally,' she said.

'The European Parliament wants women's rights to be prioritized in all policy areas. This is increasingly important due to the global pushback against protecting women's rights, including sexual and reproductive rights.' The resolution reflects rising concerns about the deterioration of women's rights worldwide and the EU's potential to counteract this trend.

By advocating for stronger policies and international leadership, MEPs aim to ensure that gender equality remains a priority amid rising challenges.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Romania Disqualifies Top Presidential Contender Călin Georgescu from Election Rerun
Russia Sends British Diplomats Packing as Tensions Rise
Radioactive coolant leak detected at the largest nuclear reactor in Europe.
Trump Administration Launches Self-Deportation App for Undocumented Immigrants
Russian Teacher Under Investigation After Explicit Content Incident in Classroom
Former security adviser cautions that UK troop presence in Ukraine may last for years.
Trump Administration Unveils Gold Card Visa Initiative That Exempts Foreign Assets from US Taxes
Trump Sees Negotiating with Russia as Less Challenging than with Ukraine Amid Ongoing Conflict
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Stresses the Importance of the US in Attaining Peace
Google Eliminates Women's History Month and Various Cultural Celebrations from Calendar App
Trinity College Dublin Honors Eavan Boland by Naming a Building After Her, Achieving a Historic Milestone.
Former UK Ambassador Cautions About a Significant Change in US-UK Relations
UK Government Confirms Prohibition on Issuing New North Sea Drilling Licences as Part of Shift Towards Clean Energy
Macron Cautions Against Growing Russian Aggression as U.S. Support for Ukraine Changes
President Trump Indicates Willingness to Revive U.S.-Ukraine Relations in Light of Recent Tensions
EU Member States Endorse Gradual Rollout of Entry/Exit System
Europe Investigates the Use of Frozen Russian Assets to Aid Ukraine
Macron Calls on Europe to Bolster Defense in Light of Russian Aggression and Possible U.S. Withdrawal.
Germany Supports Looser EU Fiscal Rules to Boost Defense Expenditure
Russia Announces Completion of Passport Distribution in Occupied Ukrainian Regions
Macron Contemplates Joint Trip to Washington alongside Zelensky and the UK Prime Minister.
Swiss Legislators Aim to Embed Cash in the Constitution as Its Usage Dwindles
The UK and France are working together with Ukraine to find a solution to the conflict with Russia.
Vatican Reports Pope Francis in Stable Health.
Cross-Party Legislators Express Worry About Proposed Reductions to the UK Aid Budget
U.S. Creates Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve, Triggering Market Boom
Here, unelected President Zelensky meets with two top American democratically elected officials who are neither stupid, nor bribed, nor blind
Microsoft Set to Phase Out Skype in May, Concentrating on Teams in Response to Evolving Communication Trends
Citigroup Unintentionally Deposits $81 Trillion into Account, Mistake Rectified in Hours
Pope Francis, hospitalized due to pneumonia, faces a respiratory crisis.
Katy Perry Set to Join an All-Female Space Team on Blue Origin Mission
DeepSeek Enhances AI Integration in Home Appliances Throughout China
US President Asserts NATO Membership for Ukraine Is Off the Table
Apple Resolves iPhone Dictation Bug That Linked 'Racist' to 'Trump'
Trump Confirms Zelensky’s Visit Amid U.S.-Ukraine Mineral Deal Talks
Trump Plans to Cut 65% of Environmental Protection Agency Staff
Proposal Introduced for $250 Bill Featuring Donald Trump
Zelensky Calls for Security Guarantees Ahead of Meeting with Trump
Trump Announces 25% Tariffs on European Imports, Citing Unfair Trade Practices
Google's AI System Exceeds the Achievements of Human Math Olympiad Gold Medalists
Germany's Electoral Outcomes: Immigrants Confront Ambiguity as Far-Right Backing Grows
Macron Stresses the Importance of Ukraine's Sovereignty During US-Russia Peace Discussions
Putin Describes Zelensky as a 'Toxic Presence' in Ukrainian Politics
The US Casts Its Vote Alongside Russia Against the UN Resolution Condemning the Invasion of Ukraine.
Unelected President Zelenskiy suggests he will step down only if the unthinkable occurs: Ukraine becomes a member of NATO.
German Election Polls Indicate a Change as Conservatives Take the Lead and the Far Right Increases Support
The Enigma of QR Codes on Munich Headstones Unveiled
Satya Nadella Recognizes Microsoft's Error in the Search Market
Research Examines Possible Connection Between COVID-19 Vaccines and Post-Vaccination Syndrome
German Conservatives Achieve Election Win Amid Landmark Advances by Far-Right AfD
×