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PRESS FILE

PRESS FILE
The 10 electoral appeals from the women’s movements in Belgium
Dossier de presse 10 revendications électorales communes des organisations de femmes en Belgique 2014
The 10 electoral appeals from the women’s movements in Belgium
For the occasion of the upcoming elections on 25 May 2014, the major women’s organisations in
Belgium present their 10 communal requests
The major feminist umbrella organisations – the European Women’s Lobby, Conseil des Femmes
Francophones de Belgique, Vrouwenraad, the Brussels chapter of the Marche Mondiale des Femmes, ,
les Femmes Prevoyantes Socialistes, and the feminist reflection group Vrouwen Overleg Komitee –
cordially invite you to the presentation of their 10 communal requests for the upcoming elections.
During these cumulative elections; the organisations want to seize the opportunity to collectively
reemphasize the importance of equal opportunities and women’s rights. By stressing these priorities, the
organisations aim to challenge current policies and establish the integration of gender in the incoming
legislature.
What are the priorities in terms of equality between women and men? What points should European,
federal, and regional policies focus on? How can our politicians put an end to inequalities between
women and men, and prevent their perpetuation?
Representatives from several Belgian women’s associations will be available to respond to any questions
you may have: Viviane Teitelbaum (EWL and CFFB), Magda de Meyer (Vrouwenraad), Françoise Claude
(FPS), Sofie De Graeve (VOK) et Marcela de la Peña Valdivia (MMF).
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1. The ten communal requests
For the occasion of the upcoming 2014 elections and in the framework of the post-2015 agenda
development discussions, the women’s organisations of Belgium have formulated 10 communal
requests: three for each level of power and a tenth which concerns all levels.
On the European level, the women’s organizations demand:
1. The nomination of a European Coordinator for women’s rights and gender equality.
The European coordinator of women’s rights and gender equality must ensure the implementation
of the European strategy for gender equality and the application of gender mainstreaming in
European Union policies.
These women’s organisations are convinced that this post is crucial to enable a coordinated and
comprehensive response on women’s rights and gender equality. The European coordinator, who would
report directly to the president of the European commission, would play a political role while
coordinating with European institutions and agencies.
The coordinator would oversee the
implementation of EU strategies for women’s rights and gender equality, and therefore the eventual
gender mainstreaming of all EU policies.
At the European level, these organisations deplore the member states to prioritize women’s reproductive
rights, abortion rights, and contraceptive access in particular. The current situation is simply
unacceptable.
The coordinator would ensure and guarantee equal rights for women in the EU and in this way give new
impetus to gender equality politics. With the support of this coordinator, the EU would thus confirm
their active engagement with women’s rights.
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2. Declaration of 2016 as “the European Year to End Violence Against Women and Girls”, with
adequate resources for awareness campaigns and support at every level.
Belgian women’s organizations want 2016 to be designated as the European Year to End Violence
Against Women and Girls. The presence of violence against women and girls needs to be considered
at the highest levels of our political agendas in the EU. As such, concrete measures must be
proposed to put an end to all forms of violence against women.
The results of a survey of the European agency for rights regarding violence against women of March
2014 showed that the prevalence of violence against women is very high: one out of three women has
experienced physical or sexual violence since age 15; one out of five women has continued to experience
those incidences; and 50% of women have continually experienced one or more forms of sexual
harassment. Violence against women is much to frequent in Europe, and urgent change is needed.
3. Guaranteed economic independence of women through the promotion of women’s
employment, the fight against women’s poverty, and the elimination of the gender pay gap.
Women’s economic independence is of crucial importance for the establishment of real gender equality.
For this reason, it is urgent to promote the quality of women’s employment with the effective
legislation of gender equality.
Full and effective economic independence does not currently exist anywhere in the EU for women. The
persistence of gender pay gaps and unequal pensions between women and men weighs heavily on the
economic independence of women and raises the risk of poverty for women.
Statistics show that women’s salaries remain 16% lower than men’s on average in the EU. According to
estimations, it would take 70 years (!) to dismantle the pay gap in the absence of decisive action.
According to the Gender Equality index published by the European Institute of Gender Equality (EIGE),
women are at a much higher risk than men to be exposed to poverty. Around one quarter of European
women are poor, and among them, we find that 22% of elderly women are poor (compared to 16% of
elderly men), and a third of single-parent families are poor. The women’s employment rate—63%—is still
far from the 75% goal set by the EU. Women’s employment opportunities also continue to reflect
traditional gender roles, wherein women women are 4 times more likely to be part-time workers than
men.
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At the federal level, the women’s organizations demand:
4. The individualisation of social and fiscal rights, instead of derived rights.
These women’s organisations are convinced that it is time to re-evaluate the social security system
with a focus on the individualisation of social and fiscal rights so that they are available to everyone.
This is a necessary measure for gender equality, for social justice, and to generally equilibrate the social
security system.
Social security is founded on the principle of solidarity: this system, also called united insurance, is
financed by the collection of contributions (insurances), which are redistributed to all beneficiaries (who
are, thus, united).
The regulation and allocation of these funds in the different sectors of social security is not evenly
distributed. Different categories intervene in the calculation of allocations, such as “single-parent family”
or “head of household” or “cohabitants.” Cohabitants, or dependents, who always receive the lowest
allocations, do not receive the entirety of their deserved rights. Heads of households, who have
dependents, receive the most, compared to other categories. When these benefits also benefit the
spouse of the head of household, who has never or almost never been active on the job market and
therefore never contributed to social security, these are derived rights or benefits. Following this is a
series of injustices in which women are directly disadvantaged—the model serves to perpetuate the
“male breadwinner” and “housewife” dichotomy.
The semi-progressive income tax rate is not redistributive between men and women. Various tax
benefits afforded are by employers, such as mortgage, life insurance, operating expenses, retirement
savings, and more. Although women earn less than men on average, they pay higher taxes in order to
obtain these same benefits. The individualisation of rights must also apply to taxation—one declaration
per individual. The plight of the single-parent family is not included here, because other techniques may
provide a better solution.
5. The ratification by the federal government of the Convention of the European Council on the
prevention of violence against women and domestic violence, better known under as the
Convention of Istanbul.
Through the ratification of the Convention of Istanbul, member countries commit to take acton
against all forms of violence against women. This is why these women’s organisations demand that
Belgium sign this convention as soon as possible and work towards its implementation. The foundations
of this Convention concern the prevention of violence, the protection of victims, and the prosecution of
perpetrators.
The elimination of all forms of violence is a crucial step towards the realisation of gender equality. The
statistics regarding violence against women in Belgium are shocking: every day, around 8 rapes are
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committed, and this is only a small part of the reality. Very few survivors of this kind of violence file
formal complaints. Moreover, many formal complaints that are filed are closed without investigation.
By implementing the Convention, Belgium would be obligated to provide specialised services to survivors
by ensuring the availability of a sufficient number of accessible care centres. Equally necessary will be
the intensive training of caregivers to victims of violence, the implementation of awareness campaigns,
as well as the recognition and promotion of civil society’s responsibility in the prevention of violence.
These measures would be overseen by a group of independent experts (GREVIO) who, if necessary,
would formulate extra measures and recommendations.
6. The elimination of the negative impact of socioeconomic measures regarding the unequal
situation of men and women.
The socioeconomic measures taken by the government in the framework of austerity politics have
different effects according to different genders, and therefore reinforce existing inequalities. In light of
this, we require that the negative effects of these measures are immediately eliminated, particularly
those which increase women’s poverty and the inaccessibility of work. In addition, we demand the
implementation of corrective public policy to end women’s poverty.
Measures such as the gradual tapering of benefits and the new definition of ‘suitable work,’ whereby the
unemployed may lose their benefits if they refuse a job that would be in a radius of 60 km, requiring 4
hours of journey and 12 hours away from home, seriously disadvantages women. The rising rates of
poverty and decreasing rates of job security (for example, house staff through service vouchers) are also
alarming.
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At the regional/community level, the women’s organisations demand:
7. Increased attention to women’s employment and the continuing training of working women.
Regarding employment:
Now more than ever, it is necessary to inform women of the long-term consequences of their career
choices (especially in terms of pension) via information campaigns and continuing to fight against
‘unemployment traps,’ typical of women’s part-time employment. This should not lead to the
implementation of ‘mini-jobs,’ like in the Netherlands and Germany, but rather the promotion of fulltime women.
Regarding training, we propose:



Encouraging the continued training of working women within corporations and public services in
order to permit them access to higher opportunities;
Issue information campaigns aimed at women searching for work about skills shortages and
adapt training for these fields in order to attract more women employees;
Validate the skills of women returning to work.
8. In order to guarantee the economic independence of women, it is necessary to provide
accessible childcare services and elder care services to all families.
The government has a responsibility to provide access to affordable and quality care to everyone
without passing through waiting lists. This offer needs to respond to the real needs of families of all
shapes and sizes, and in particular those who are marginalized on the job market. Care services and
social services must be affordable and adapted to the incomes of individual households. At the regional
level, institutional care must be evenly distributed. The care service needs to be valued more highly. In
the absence of quality locations, it becomes impossible to make good choices about care accessibility.
And given that these decisions are often left to women, this disadvantages them even more.
The need for childcare and healthcare is important and can rise because of social and demographic
change (for example, the aging of the general population, increase of women in the workforce,
grandparents who can no longer care for their grandchildren, etc). The realisation of a good balance
between public and private life necessitates access to affordable and quality care.
The problems surrounding child services in our country have been in the news more than once. In
Antwerp, only 25.5 childcare openings are available for 100 children aged 0 to 3. In Charleroi, only one in
five children will receive official childcare. Moreover, childcare services are not evenly distributed among
the different sectors of the population: single-parent families, families of foreign origin, and poor
families are often left behind. We also recall that this phenomenon has a negative affect on the balance
between private and public life, which harms women most.
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9. A scholarly curriculum that integrates the fight against all forms of stereotypes and educates
students about social, emotional, and sexual relationships (EVRAS).
We call for further efforts to integrate the structure set forth by EVRAS/SRV in the education
system, from preschool to higher education, without disregarding permanent curriculums.
EVRAS’ integration is indispensible to the eventual integration of neutral, unbiased information for all
ages.
This would provide equal education for the development of each person and his or her own
personality. It is necessary to develop coordinated policies that train instructors to understand the
stakes relating to gender issues and the resulting stereotypes, particularly:



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Familiarisation in gender issues and sexual inequalities from the beginning of teacher’s
training, from early childhood staff at psycho-medical-social centres (PMS) and the Promotion of
School Health Services (PSE, previously IMS), because they can develop a pedagogic system
with which to help students and teachers deconstruct gender stereotypes.
Promoting the use of teaching aids and textbooks free of gender stereotypes
Integrating the perspective of gender into all general research in all higher education
programmes
Assuring particular attention to the career choices of children to ensure they consider a
variety of fields and broaden their scope of thinking in order to reverse typically gendered
careers (more science careers for girls and more social careers for boys, for example). Gender
segregation in schools remains a problem for the future labour market.
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10. In order to realise these missions, these women’s organisations demand the implementation of
a coherent and durable defence policy for women’s rights that takes into account women’s
diversity. This would require funding at all levels of power for women’s right and equality, and
the existence of institutional mechanisms to mainstream gender (or, the integration of gender
mainstreaming).
The important principles in this policy are:





A new societal model that ensures that paid work, accessible care, household expenses, and
recreation are available and shared equally between women and men.
Governmental recognition that real social equality between men and women and women’s
rights are pillars of a durable society.
The integration of a gender equality perspective in every political process. We call for the
reinforced integration of gender mainstreaming as a tool to ensure gender equality at every
political level. This will require the government to establish ambitious objectives and strategies
at every level of political planning to promote equality between women and men.
A budget sensitive to gender in every phase of the budgetary cycle (revenues and expenses).
This means a heightened understanding of the respective situations of women and men, with an
accent on the structural promotion of gender equality. Gender budgeting is more necessary
than ever in order to counteract the current crisis and its negative impact on the majority of
marginalised social groups—single mothers in particular—and gender equality in general. In
addition, a reallocation of responsibilities and resources during the sixth state reform is an
excellent opportunity to integrate the gender perspective.
The structural involvement and independent functioning of women’s associations,
permitting that their collective expertise, actions and participation are integrated into policies.
We ask that the government provide the means to obtain these objectives.
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1. Les organisations de femmes
1.1 Conseil des femmes francophones de Belgique
Le Conseil des Femmes Francophones de Belgique (CFFB), qui
existe depuis 1905, est une association « coupole » qui
regroupe une soixantaine d’organisations de femmes
francophones, réparties à Bruxelles et en Communauté
française, ainsi que des membres individuelles. Il est un
organisme d’éducation permanente, qui a pour objectif de :


grouper, associer, représenter des femmes et des associations de femmes, de tous milieux,
opinions et situations, en vue de promouvoir leurs droits et leurs intérêts sociaux, culturels,
politiques, économiques, dans le respect de leur autonomie
collaborer avec d’autres associations, organisations, institutions, organismes privés ou publics,
au niveau fédéral, communautaire, régional et international
Le CFFB a choisi de porter son travail et ses efforts sur :






la participation plus importante des femmes à la vie publique
l’installation du réflexe 'égalité' dans tous les aspects de la vie (gendermainstreaming)
l’amélioration du statut des femmes
la lutte contre l’exploitation des femmes et les violences qui leur sont faites
la santé et la qualité de vie des femmes
la solidarité avec les femmes du monde
Pour accomplir ce travail, le CFFB a mis sur pied des commissions : Arts et Culture, Droits des Femmes
et Interculturalité, Enseignement, Femmes et Immigration, Femmes et entreprises, Femmes et
entrepreunariat, Lois et Politique, Relations Internationales et Europe, Santé, Femmes et Monde
Vieillissant. Celles-ci se réunissent selon un agenda défini par leurs membres et en fonction des
nécessités du travail en cours et aboutissent à des motions et communiqués à destination du monde
politique.
En outre, le CFFB organise aussi des colloques, réunions et débats, sensibilise et interpelle les Pouvoirs
Publics sur différents sujets et édite une newsletter. Il est présent en Wallonie avec ses sections à Liège,
Huy-Waremme, arrondissement de Verviers et Charleroi-Thuin.
Consultez les memoranda électoraux du CFFB sur www.cff.be
Mémorandum pour les élections fédérales
Mémorandum pour les élections régionales et communautaires
Manifeste du Lobby Européen des Femmes pour les élections européennes
CFFB - 10 rue du Méridien - 1210 Bruxelles
 ++/32/2/229.38.21
 [email protected]
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1.2 Vrouwenraad
Le Vrouwenraad (Conseil des femmes néerlandophones) représente 40 associations de femmes. Cette
organisation coupole œuvre à la réalisation de l’égalité des femmes et des hommes dans une société
durable et pacifique. Pour atteindre cet objectif, il est nécessaire de parvenir à l’égalité politique, sociale
et économique, les femmes et les hommes doivent accéder de façon égale aux biens et aux services ainsi
qu’au pouvoir pour que cette société voie le jour.
Le Vrouwenraad poursuit 3 missions principales : informer/sensibiliser, conseiller/dialoguer et influencer
l’agenda politique/faire pression sur les décideurs politiques. Notre travail se fonde sur trois piliers : la
non-discrimination, le genre ainsi que la solidarité et la paix, dans le respect des droits de l'homme et des
droits des femmes, et à la lumière du développement durable de la société.
Consultez le dossier « Élections » du Vrouwenraad : vous trouverez ses priorités et ses
recommandations politique pour tous les niveaux de pouvoir ainsi qu’un aperçu des propositions de
partis politiques en matière d’égalité des chances. www.vrouwenraad.be
Les priorités politiques du Vrouwenraad
Le Vrouwenraad a rassemblé pour chaque niveau de pouvoir les défis les plus
importants qui attendent le prochain gouvernement en matière de politique
d’égalité des chances.
 Prioriteitennota 'Regionale, federale en Europese verkiezingen'
 Wat vrouwen verwachten van Europa
 Vlaams memorandum
 Brussels memorandum
 Federaal memorandum
Mettez vos lunettes de genre pour voter !
 Pour l’Europe
Qu'est-ce que les candidat.e.s aux élections européennes trouvent
d’important pour la politique d'égalité des chances de l'Europe? À partir de
sa note prioritaire Wat vrouwen verwachten van Europa?, le Vrouwenraad a
posé la question aux candidat.e.s les mieux placé.e.s sur les listes
électorales européennes.

Pour le fédéral et la Flandre
Le centre de documentation RoSa a demandé aux partis politiques
démocratiques flamands quels sont leurs objectifs et propositions concrets
pour la réalisation de l’égalité des femmes et des hommes.
Vrouwenraad vzw
Middaglijnstraat 10, 1210 Brussel
 02/229.38.19
 [email protected]
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1.3 The European Women’s Lobby
The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) is the largest umbrella organisation of women’s associations in the
European Union (EU), working to promote women’s rights and equality between women and men. EWL
membership extends to organisations in all 28 EU member states and the three candidate countries, as
well as to 20 European-wide bodies, representing a total of more than 2000 organisations.
Founded in 1990 with 12 national member organisations, the European Women’s Lobby is one of the
oldest and best established European-level civil society NGOs. Over the last 20 years, EWL membership
has grown steadily to reach more than 2500 organisations across 31 European countries.
The EWL’s mission is to promote real and effective equality between women and men, in all spheres of
public and private life, across the EU. This mission is founded on a vision of a peaceful and democratic
European Union built on a culture of respect for human rights, equality, peace and solidarity.
A membership-based organisation with democratic and transparent procedures, the EWL works closely
with the European Union, Council of Europe and United Nations, to ensure the representation of the full
diversity of European women in particular at the European level, and the promotion of their equal
interests.
Read the EWL Manifesto:
www.womenlobby.org
Adresse: 18 rue Hydraulique 1210 Brussel
 +32 2 217 90 20
Fax: +32 2 219 84 51
E-mail: [email protected]
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1.4 Les Femmes Prévoyantes Socialistes
Les Femmes Prévoyantes Socialistes sont un mouvement féministe qui milite pour une société plus
égalitaire. Regroupant 11 régionales et plus de 200 comités locaux, elles mettent à disposition du grand
public de nombreux services (écoles, consultions ONE, services d’accueil, OISP, etc.) et organisent
diverses activités d’éducation permanente sur l’ensemble du territoire de la Fédération WallonieBruxelles.
En tant que mouvement de pression et de revendications politiques, elles mènent des actions et militent
pour les droits des femmes : émancipation, égalité des sexes, évolution des mentalités, nouveaux rapports sociaux, parité, etc. En tant que mouvement mutualiste, elles mènent des actions et militent contre
les inégalités de santé.

Nous INFORMONS et SENSIBILISONS (conférences, études & analyses, campagnes de
sensibilisation)

Nous MOBILISONS (colloques & évènements, revendications politiques

Nous MENONS DES ACTIONS d’éducation à la santé (Centre de planning familial)

Les FPS c'est aussi UN RÉSEAU D’ÉCOLES de promotion sociale
Consultez les revendications électorales du FPS sur www.femmesprevoyantes.be
Les Femmes Prévoyantes Socialistes
Place Saint-Jean 1/2 - 1000 Bruxelles
 02/515 17 67
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1.5 Vrouwen Overleg Komitee
Le Vrouwen Overleg Komitee (VOK)
-
se compose de femmes d’horizons différents qui partagent un point de vue critique féministe sur
notre société
est pluraliste et multiculturel, et combine pensée et action féministes
fonctionne de manière autonome pour garantir une prise de position libre
dialogue et collabore avec d’autres organisations de femmes et de la société civile autour
d’actions concrètes
En bref, le VOK est une association indépendante féministe et pluraliste.
Le VOK (°1970) œuvre pour une société égalitaire, sans discrimination femmes/hommes (ou autres). Il
intervient dans le débat public, interpelle et émet des recommandations aux décideurs politiques. Il mène
également de nombreuses actions en collaboration avec d’autres associations. Chaque année, le VOK
organise le 11 novembre sa Journée des Femmes : débats, échanges, rencontres avec le grand public et
réseautage entre associations de femmes.
Consultez le memorandum du VOK sur www.vrouwendag.be
Vrouwen Overleg Komitee
Middaglijnstraat 10
1210 Brussel
 02/29.38.73
[email protected]
[email protected]
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1.6 La Marche mondiale des femmes
La Marche mondiale des femmes (MMF) est un réseau mondial d’actions de lutte contre la pauvreté et la
violence envers les femmes. Née en 1996, la Marche mondiale des femmes est rapidement devenue un
mouvement mondial incontournable et a recueilli en 2000 l’adhésion de près de 6000 groupes de femmes
à travers 163 pays et territoires du monde.
En Belgique, la Marche a mobilisé plus de 80 organisations de femmes et le 14 octobre 2000, quelques 35
000 femmes ont participé à une manifestation européenne deux jours avant une marche de clôture à
New York devant les Nations Unies.
La marche a permis de rendre visible, de renforcer et de solidariser les groupes de femmes belges autour
de revendications communes contre la violence et la pauvreté à l’égard des femmes. La marche a donné
naissance à de nombreuses plates-formes régionales.
Les quatre thèmes centraux de la MMF sont :
« Pauvreté & indépendance économique – femmes et travail décent »
« Violences envers les femmes »
« Paix et démilitarisation »
« Biens communs et accès aux ressources – souveraineté alimentaire »
MMF - WVM
10 Rue du Méridien
1210 Bruxelles – Belgique
 02/229 38 28
E-mail : [email protected]
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For more information:
Magda De Meyer (Vrouwenraad) : 0476/94.91.31
Viviane Teitelbaum (Conseil des femmes francophones): 02/229.38.40
Viviane Teitelbaum (Le Lobby européen des femmes) : 02/210.04.40
Sofie De Graeve (Vrouwen Overleg Komitee) : 0479/78.98.33
Françoise Claude (Les Femmes Prévoyantes Socialistes) : 02/515.04.03
Marcela de la Peña Valdivia (La Marche mondiale des femmes) : 02/229.38.28
Ariane Dierickx (Amazone asbl) : 02/229.38.00
With the support of Amazone asbl and l’Institut pour l’Égalité des Femmes et des Hommes
16

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