lunedì 7 maggio 2012

Activities Report 2011



07/05/2012
European Women’s Lobby member organisations’
Activities Report for 2011

Please use this document to report on your national or European organisation’s activities in 2010 and send it back before April 13 2012 to ewl@womenlobby.org - Please note that a compilation of the member’s reports will be disseminated and put on the EWL website. Please note that the EWL will not be able to translate all reports, you are very welcome to provide us with both a French and English version of your report.

-          Section 1 on activities led by your organisation in 2011
-          Section 2 on your evaluation of progress and backlashes in relation to women’s rights and gender equality in your country in 2011.

Name of organisation: The Italian Co-ordination of European Women’s Lobby
Contact person filling the form and email: Maria Ludovica Bottarelli Tranquilli-Leali S.G. m.tranquillileali@virgilio.it

Section 1: Reporting on Activities led by your organisation in 2011 (maximum 1 A4 page). Please highlight main campaigns, good practices, projects or advocacy:

- EWL Campaign for the vote of the resolution on maternity leave directive: press release, letters sent to PPE and ALDE Italian MEPs, good press covereage (Il Fatto Quotidiano, Donna Modernahttp://blog.donnamoderna.com/mommypride/2010/10/18/working-mothers-italy-sostiene-la-lobby-delle-donne-per-il-congedo-di-maternita-in-parlamento-europeo/ , Vita Europe http://www.vita.it/news/view/107978)
- EWL Campaign against the system of prostitution: publication of the video on LEF-Italia’s fb page, group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/103826006336029/) and blog (http://coordinamentoitalianolobbyeudonne.blogspot.it/search/label/Campagne%20EWL). Organisation of 3 rounds of talks among the Italian expert of EWL Observatory, LEF-Italia board members and other stakeholders involved in the issue of prostitution on how to implement EWL  Campaign at national level.
- National Campaign for the approval of the Law on Quotas in board of administration. LEF-Italia has supported the national campaign lead by the Italian women’s movement and has issued a press release (http://www.vita.it/news/view/110128).
- Good practices:
   - Participation of the President Siusi Casaccia as speaker in a conference on women’s quota in decision making organized in Matera within the framework of a European Week;
   - Participation of the President Siusi Casaccia as speaker in a seminar on the portrayal of women in the media organized in Milan;
   - Promotion together with the Council Presidency of the Region Toscana of the presentation of a book on Hon. Tina Anselmi (among the founders of LEF-Italia and former Employment and Health Minister) moderated by Anna Maria Olivieri, LEF-Italia board member;
   - Participation of the S.G. Maria Ludovica Bottarelli Tranquilli-Leali as speaker in the round table on discriminations organized by Certi Diritti (https://www.facebook.com/events/215031335195171/) within the framework of the European Gay Pride organized in Rome;
   - Participation of S.G. as speaker in the seminar Verso una nuova casa delle donne organized by the Municipality of Modena (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coordinamento-Italiano-della-Lobby-Europea-delle-Donne-LEF-Italia/135120993181673)
   - Participation of the S.G. in the temathic conference n.1 “Poverty Feminization: challenges and solutions” with the speech on the benefits of civil dialogue: the experience of the European Women’s Lobby within the framework of a Multy-Country Non State Actors project financed by European Commission and entitled “Multy local women’s partnership against poverty”.
- Projects and women’s advocacy: LEF-Italia is partner of Formaper (training institute of the Milan Chamber of Commerce) in the implementation of a Multy-Country Non State Actor project entitled “Multy local women’s partnership against poverty” and which involves 4 Countries (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, China). The project has the goal to support local Women’s NGOs to empower grass-root women, set up a civil dialogue with national and local authorities in order to overcome women’s poverty. The S.G. has held, in Tashkent (Uz), 2 training courses for representative of public institution, civil society organizations and for their executive staff and co-chaired 2 workshops.
- the activities in partnership with Formaper for the implementation of the IBBP project: promoting a culture of Women’s rights an integrated project to reduce social marginality and empower vulnerable women in Tashkent KoKand and Navoy has been published in the report of EuropeAid http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/asia/country-cooperation/uzbekistan/documents/annex_1_en.pdf


Section 2: The state of women in your country / area of work (for European-wide organisations)

2.1. Please highlight in 5 lines the most important progress in relation to women’s rights and gender equality in your country / area of work in 2011
Beside the patriarchal and sex centred portrayal of women during the long “Berlusconi Period” and beside the low women’s activity rate (45,6%), nevertheless, some development in matter of gender equality have been made by the approval on June 30 2011 of the law on Quotas in boards of quoted companies and subsidiaries. Unfortunately the high rate of violence against women continues (97 women killed by partners) beside the law against violence and the recent and criticised law against stalking (2009). The national unequal gender situation has be acknowledged by the Italian women which have organized a huge manifestation in every city calling for dignity on February 13, with the participation also of LEF-Italia members.

2.2. Please highlight in 5 lines the most important backlash in relation to women’s rights and gender equality in your country / area of work in 2011

As said before the picture of women in Italy it’s deeply sex-centred and in a certain way patriarchal. The concept of Equality has not yet been digested by the mail counterpart. The EU Gender Policies are not been implemented at all at national level (see: national equality plan, etc..). Nevertheless there are some regions which have implemented good practices in matters of equality. No positive development have been made in matters of reconciliation policies and therefore most of the Italian women leave the labour market after the first childbirth. There is no comprehensive plan for the fight against women’s unemployment and women are mostly employed in part-time and atypical jobs.
There is still a persisting and low presence of women in decision making positions (Chambers: 18%). LEF-Italia has faced difficulties in having a dialogue with national institutions, but has a very good dialogue with regional authorities. The economical crisis has impacted overall on women since many small and medium sized enterprises have closed and many women have been dismissed; moreover many atypical contract have not been renewed and often the pension schemes are insufficient for assuring a decent life to elderly women.