Gender equality

Say No to Violence against women campaign


The Say No to Violence campaign has been initiated by UNIFEM to highlight the need for action and protection of women against violence. View UNIFEM's website.

The written declaration calls on Member states to support the UNIFEM campaign and asks the Commission to declare a 'European Year on Zero Tolerance of Violence against Women' within the next five years.

In order to be effective, the written declaration has to be signed by half of the MEPs, which means a minimum of 393. Only 203 MEP’s have signed the written declaration so far. The deadline date is the 12th March.  Further information about the content of the written declaration is shown below.

Written declaration on the 'Say NO to Violence against Women' campaign

The European Parliament, having regard to the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women of 20 December 1993 and the resolution on the elimination of domestic violence against women, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 22 December 2003, which recognise the urgent need for elimination of violence against women, having regard to its resolutions of 16 September 1997 for an EU-wide campaign for zero tolerance of violence against women and of  2 February 2006 on the current situation in combating violence against women and any future action, having regard to the UNIFEM campaign 'Say NO to Violence against Women', which highlights the need for action and protection of women against violence, having regard to Rule 116 of its Rules of Procedure:

  • whereas violence against women and girls is a universal problem of pandemic proportions,
  • whereas, in its above mentioned resolutions, Parliament stressed the need to establish an EU-wide campaign for zero tolerance of violence against women,
  • whereas the recent Council of Europe campaign 'Stop Domestic Violence against Women' confirms the need for action and protection of women against violence,
  1. Asks the Commission to declare, within the next five years, a 'European Year on Zero Tolerance of Violence against Women', as repeatedly requested by Parliament;
  2. Calls on the Member States to support the UNIFEM campaign 'Say NO to Violence against Women' by signing its petition;
  3. Instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories, to the  Council and the Commission, as well as to UNIFEM.

RCN members may wish to contact their MEP to find out if they have signed this petition.  If you are unsure who your MEP is, please visit the European Parliament UK constituency webpage where you can find details of MEP's in your region.

The RCN is developing a comprehensive online resource around domestic abuse and violence. The resource which is to be launched summer 2009 will cover a broad range of issues including forced marriage and men as victims of violence and abuse.

Gender Equality Scheme

The Gender Eqaulity Scheme forms part of the RCN’s response to the 2006 Equality Act. The Gender Equality Scheme sets out how the RCN intends to promote equality of opportunity between men and women as well as eliminate unlawful harassment and discrimination on the grounds of sex or gender.

In this scheme, the RCN seeks urgent action on behalf of nurse employers to close the gender pay gap and end the chronic low pay of nurses and those involved in the caring professions.

Read:  Gender Equality Scheme (PDF 155.5KB) [how to access PDF files].

Gender Equality Duty (GED)

Gender Equality Duty means public authorities have a positive duty to promote gender equality and eliminate discrimination based on a person’s sex. Further guidance is available on the Equal Opportunity Commission website.

European Women’s Lobby

The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) is the largest umbrella organisations of women’s associations in the European Union (EU).

Advancing equality between women and men through the better provision of care services in the European Union is organised by the European Women’s Lobby.

The European Women’s Lobby aims to promote women’s rights and equality between women and men in the European Union. The European Women's Lobby is active in different areas such as women’s economic and social position, women in decision-making, violence against women, and women’s diversity etc.  The European Women's Lobby works mainly with the institutions of the European Union: the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Union Council of Ministers.

More information is available on the European Women's Lobby website:

Harnessing the power of difference- race, gender and the future workplace

The Fawcett Society has published a ‘think piece’ for the Gender Equality Forum called ‘Harnessing the power of difference - race, gender and the future workplace’ which highlights the experiences of ethnic minority women at work.

The report outlines a series of recommendations for employers, government and the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.

Recommendations for employers

The authors argue that employers need to take clear steps across their operations to respond to the need to include and appropriately reward ethnic minority women. These steps include:

  • Mapping pathways through the organisation: The report says that organisations need to understand the obstacles and barriers faced by ethnic minority women as they move through an organisation. They suggest that organisations map the experience of ethnic minority women at key stages such as promotions and maternity leave returners.
  • Excellent workplace practices for women have a particular benefit for ethnic minority women: Flexible work practices as well as good maternity and paternity leave arrangements are likely to be particularly valued by ethnic minority women in the workplace both for practical reasons and for the signal they send out about an organisation’s values.
  • Deliver on governance best practice: The report comments that the severe under representation of women in senior levels undermines organisational claims to good governance. The report asserts that organisations need to ensure that their boards, executives and senior management layers reflect the diversity of the populations that the organisation serves.

Read "Harnessing the Power of Difference -  race, gender and the future workplace" on the Fawcett Society website.