One in ten women live in dire poverty. One in three face violence. We are witnessing a growing backlash against women's rights across the world, including in the EU. With the European elections and the formation of a new European Commission fast approaching, continued institutional and civil society support will be crucial to furthering the empowerment of women and girls.

On 25 April, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a plenary session debate with some of the EU's top organisations championing gender equality to highlight the pressing need to keep pushing for women's rights in the EU's next term of office.

The debate took place a day after the European Parliament gave the green light to the first EU Directive on combating gender-based violence, and its theme was the conclusions of the 68th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW68). The CSW is the world's top international forum for assessing progress on achieving gender equality, and this year it focused on poverty among women.

The EESC contributed to UNCSW68, held in March in New York, with a declaration entitled A gender lens on poverty, comprising 10 action points for the economic empowerment and social protection of women.

"As poverty is not gender-neutral, our response to it cannot be either. Violence committed against women has an impact on women's risk of poverty and their ability to participate on an equal basis in the labour market. I can therefore only welcome the final vote in the European Parliament on the first ever Directive to protect women against gender-based violence and domestic violence at European level," said EESC president Oliver Röpke.

Concerted action at all levels has achieved a number of milestones during this Commission's term of office, such as the EU Pay Transparency Directive and the Care Strategy, said Lanfranco Fanti, a member of the private office of the Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli.

Participants in the debate called for an EU Council formation on gender equality, an EU coordinator on violence against women and a renewed mandate for the Commissioner on Equality.

"We need political support from the EU," said Florence Raes, Director of UN Women Brussels. Despite real progress on equality, women’s rights are being undermined to an unprecedented extent and there is a growing danger that gender equality could be knocked off the list of priorities.

"Being a woman and a member of a minority group means that you will struggle. We have to remember that equality is not enough anymore: equality needs intersectionality," said Ilaria Todde, Advocacy Director for the Eurocentralasian Lesbian Community.

"Violence against women is deeply rooted in patriarchal systems throughout the world. Today we applaud the adoption of the first ever EU Directive on violence against women and domestic violence," said Mary Collins, Director of the European Women's Lobby. (ll)