Local Insights68

Poland initative to help women access menstrual products

Access to menstrual products is still a marker of inequality in the sense that it still remains limited for certain women. This is why the Polish city of Rzeszow, a member of the Association of Polish Cities (ZMP), joined a national project: the “Pink Box” initiative.

These boxes have been used for several years in other Polish municipalities, such as Sopot and Łódź. They are usually found in libraries, parks, public transportation centers or schools; Currently, 43 schools in Rzeszow have implemented them. The pink boxes contain several types and sizes of sanitary products, from wipes to tampons to sanitary napkins. They also contain information on menstrual health and hygiene.

These boxes can be restocked by institutions or private sponsors, in accordance with the project principle: take some if you need it, leave some if you have too much.

Period poverty is a significant problem in Poland. According to a report by the Kulczyk Foundation, almost half a million people in Poland cannot afford sanitary products. In addition, 21% of students are forced to leave school due to lack of products, while 10% of them do not leave their homes during their period.

“That’s why I decided to introduce pink boxes in Rzeszów,” explained Konrad Fijołek, the mayor of Rzeszów. The pink boxes are a positive step in supporting the health and well-being of women in Rzeszów. They show that small community initiatives can have a big impact on people’s lives for minimal cost: the budget for the pink boxes is less than 600 euros.

BORDELOT Federica

Director – Policy & Impact

Training local police forces on conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine

Sexual violence has been used as a weapon of war in conflicts since time immemorial. Tragically, there is no exception with Russian armed forces invading Ukraine. Not only are women, men and children getting sexually assaulted, but they carry with them the stigma and trauma long after.

As part of its mission, the EU Advisory Mission to Ukraine (EUAM) has been advising and supporting the civilian security sector to ensure “effective and accountable law enforcement agencies”, “a trusted judiciary”, and “prevention of secondary stigmatisation of survivors” of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). In addition to providing advice, the EUAM has been providing training to the police, courts and prosecutors.

In July of 2022, a Ministry of Internal Affairs academy event was organised with 50 cadets from Lviv and Donetsk Police academies to raise their awareness about gender stereotypes. The EUAM has also organised community safety dialogues in Chernivtsi, Lviv and other Western Ukrainian territories which are “aimed at enhancing trust between civil society, authorities and law enforcement through a frank exchange of views and cooperation.” Priorities identified in the dialogues include “community safety, support for internally displaced people, fighting gender-based violence and disinformation.”

More than a year after the beginning of this violent conflict, many women and girls have suffered from sexual violence whether they stayed or fled their homes. With awareness and adequate initiatives, local and regional governments can better support victims of conflict-related sexual violence.

Additional resources

• UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security
• Rebuilding with Women: Amplifying their Voices in Ukraine’s Recovery (Cities Alliance, 2022)
• Brussels Declaration on Actions towards Empowering Women in Conflicts (June 2022)

2023 International Women’s Rights Day series: “Five new Charter articles illustrated through local actions”

This article is part of a series published by CEMR to celebrate 2023 International Women’s Rights Day. This series informs on impactful initiatives carried out by local and regional governments to promote gender justice.

These projects embody the updated European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life as they show how five of its nine new articles can be put into practice. Together, they represent an inspiring step towards a more gender-equal Europe.

The updated Charter is available currently in English, French and easy-to-read English versions.

Any questions regarding the update or the actions highlighted in this series can be directed to contact@ccre-cemr.org or the relevant national coordinator for the Charter in your country.

BORDELOT Federica

Director – Policy & Impact

The City of Liverpool fosters women’s health

While it may not seem obvious at first thought, some of Europe’s local and regional governments have competencies which allow them to make impactful policies and programming around sexual and reproductive health. A case in point is the City Council of Liverpool, which has put in place an effective collaboration with the National Health Service (NHS).

In the UK, women experience poor sexual and reproductive health in a higher proportion than their male counterparts. The situation is even more dire in lower socioeconomic or deprived areas. To improve women’s access to health services in Liverpool, a network of women’s health hubs was set up “across the city’s 10 primary care networks”. This was made possible through a joint commissioning group set up between the council and local NHS.

The hubs offer a range of services from long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), such as coils (IUD), contraceptive implants and injections, to cervical screening, psychosexual services and treatment for menopause and heavy periods.

As data available in 2019 illustrated, the women’s health hubs have a positive impact: the rate of LARC prescribing locally increased from 13.1 per 1,000 women to 15.2 per 1,000. Additionally, wait times have been shortened and the City estimates that the increase in LARC distribution has prevented 415 unintended pregnancies.

If this model of specific health hubs expands beyond the city’s and the country’s borders, thousands of women could be positively impacted in their health, daily life and autonomy.

Additional resources

Contraception Policy Atlas Europe 2023

 

2023 International Women’s Rights Day series: “Five new Charter articles illustrated through local actions”

This article is part of a series published by CEMR to celebrate 2023 International Women’s Rights Day. This series informs on impactful initiatives carried out by local and regional governments to promote gender justice.

 These projects embody the updated European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life as they show how five of its nine new articles can be put into practice. Together, they represent an inspiring step towards a more gender-equal Europe.

The updated Charter is available currently in English, French and easy-to-read English versions.

Any questions regarding the update or the actions highlighted in this series can be directed to contact@ccre-cemr.org or the relevant national coordinator for the Charter in your country.

BORDELOT Federica

Director – Policy & Impact

Tackling gendered violence against elected women and staff

The issue of increasing incivility, harassment abuse and violence directed at elected representatives is not a new one. However, it is a threat that continues to grow along with the disenchantment and mistrust many citizens feel towards government and institutions.

While quite a few studies and surveys examine the issue faced by public figures, the gendered dimension of the harassment and violence that elected women face at all levels, including the local and regional, must not be ignored.

Along with the increase in women’s participation in political life, comes increasing exposure to a continuum of abuse, violence, and sexist attitudes. Some studies suggest that while women may not encounter more abuse online, the abuse that women receive is gendered in its content.

A 2020 report for the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities on Fighting Sexist Violence against women in politics at local and regional levels takes stock of the increase of incivility, insults and attacks from both peers and citizens against women who become visible in the political arena. It also gives hints as to how local and regional governments should tackle this disturbing phenomenon. If nothing is done, it may be driving women out of public life and undermining the roots of the democratic process and equal participation and representation.

Recommended actions include:
• “Raising awareness among elected representatives, council staff and citizens on violence against women in politics and its negative impact on the exercise of democratic rights;”
• “Introduc[ing]or revis[ing] codes of conduct in national assemblies, governmental bodies and institutions, explicitly prohibiting sexist speech and sexual harassment, introducing effective complaint and sanctions mechanisms and assist local and regional governments with the implementation of measures regarding sexist violence against women in politics;”
• “Conduct [ing] periodical surveys and studies and establish official statistics, at all levels of government, on the issue of violence against women in politics, including attacks perpetrated in the private sphere;”

Other tools and resources are available to women politicians to help them engage safely with social media. The UK-based non-partisan organisation Elect Her works to motivate, support and equip women in all their diversity to stand for political office in Britain. As part of their mission, they partnered up with Glitch, a charity seeking to end online abuse. Together they offer an online learning course to equip women in public office with the skills to be safer, more resilient and more confident in online spaces.

Finally, a useful guide to security on Facebook and Instagram for women in politics was produced by Meta in collaboration with the Elues Locales network. It provides practical tips on prevention and protection (passwords, pirated accounts, etc.) as well as how to moderate content and report abuse.

Additional resources

• Report Fighting sexist violence against women in politics at local and regional level, Jelena Drenjanin (2020, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities)
• Démocratie au féminin 2022 – Guide des conseils de sécurité sur Facebook et Instagram pour les femmes en politique

2023 International Women’s Rights Day series: “Five new Charter articles illustrated through local actions”

This article is part of a series published by CEMR to celebrate 2023 International Women’s Rights Day. This series informs on impactful initiatives carried out by local and regional governments to promote gender justice.
These projects embody the updated European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life as they show how five of its nine new articles can be put into practice. Together, they represent an inspiring step towards a more gender-equal Europe.

The updated Charter is available currently in English, French and easy-to-read English versions.

Any questions regarding the update or the actions highlighted in this series can be directed to contact@ccre-cemr.org or the relevant national coordinator for the Charter in your country.

BORDELOT Federica

Director – Policy & Impact

The City of Munich takes on digital violence

In an effort to proactively tackle online forms of violence, the City of Munich has set out specific actions in its 2020-2024 Equality Action Plan.

The high incidence of gender-based violence that girls and women encounter in face-to-face interactions translates increasingly into the digital realm. According to EU-wide surveys carried out by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency 33 % of women have suffered physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15 years; and 1 in 10 women have already experienced a form of online violence from the age of 15 onwards (EIGE 2017)

Munich has been quick to recognise that as digital media and digital communication are naturally integrated into everyday life, particularly among younger people, the distinctions between digital and physical violence is becoming less pertinent.

As part of its project on digital violence, Munich is organising a series of events bringing together experts from different fields and with various approaches to the subject in order to take stock of and understand the existing forms of digital violence. The target audience includes professionals from specialised institutions in Munich, including social services, women’s shelters, schools, police and hospitals.

The experts are invited to exchange on different topics, among which an analysis of gender and violence in the digital space, legal aspects of digital violence, prevention and intervention possibilities in terms of technical aspects and in police work.

These events, which are attended by 20 to 30 professionals, offer space to explore possibilities for prevention and intervention and to identify areas for action. It also contributes to spreading knowledge and awareness of the phenomenon which is still relatively poorly understood and not adequately measured. This is what Munich is hoping to change for the better with their actions.

The next steps following the events will be to develop strategies for preventing and addressing digital violence. One possibility to be explored is the creation of a special counselling centre at the municipality. As Munich shows the way, other municipalities will hopefully soon follow and help make the digital world safer for everyone.

Additional resources

• City of Munich 2020-2024 Action Plan
• Dial 116 016: The EU-wide helpline for women victims of violence to be launched in April 2023
• European Parliament Research Service brief: ”Combating gender-based cyber-violence”
• European Parliament resolution of 14 December 2021 with recommendations to the Commission on combating gender-based violence: cyberviolence

2023 International Women’s Rights Day series: “Five new Charter articles illustrated through local actions”

This article is part of a series published by CEMR to celebrate 2023 International Women’s Rights Day. This series informs on impactful initiatives carried out by local and regional governments to promote gender justice. These projects embody the updated European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life as they show how five of its nine new articles can be put into practice. Together, they represent an inspiring step towards a more gender-equal Europe.

The updated Charter is available currently in English, French and easy-to-read English versions.

Any questions regarding the update or the actions highlighted in this series can be directed to contact@ccre-cemr.org or the relevant national coordinator for the Charter in your country.

BORDELOT Federica

Director – Policy & Impact