Women

Turkish women’s volleyball: national victory or culture war?

14/09/2023 -  Kenan Behzat Sharpe Istanbul

The "Sultans of the Net", the Turkish women's national volleyball team, won the European championship at the beginning of September, confirming their leadership at world level. The victory, however, reignited divisions at home over the rights and identities of sexual minorities

Armenia, selective abortion remains a concern

22/08/2023 -  Armine Avetisyan Yerevan

Once a widespread phenomenon in Armenia, selective abortion has declined in the last decade. However, according to the data up to 2022, the practice of prenatal selection based on gender has started again

Femicides: the undeclared war on women in Europe

12/07/2023 -  Janine LouloudiNikos MorfoniosKostas ZafeiropoulosThanasis Troboukis

An unprecedented cross-border investigation, conducted by EDJNet with the participation of 19 newsrooms across Europe, attempts to shed light on femicides and rising violence against women at the time of the pandemic, as well as on the staggering shortage of up-to-date data on these phenomena

Femicide in Serbia: Crime and Lesser Punishments

10/07/2023 -  Teodora ĆurčićJovana Tomić

Over the past ten years, more than 300 femicides have occurred in Serbia. The families of the murdered persons look for justice in court, but CINS’s investigation reveals that they often do not find it there.

The gender gap in Europe’s street names is here to stay

06/03/2023 -  Lorenzo FerrariAlice Corona

In 30 of Europe's biggest cities, streets named after women make up only 9 per cent of the streets dedicated to individuals. The imbalance has started to narrow in some places, but progress is too slow: at this rate, it would take centuries to really close the gap.

Croatia, let's finally talk about menstruation poverty

19/10/2022 -  Marina Kelava

Recent research on menstrual poverty in Croatia, conducted by the PaRiter association, has allowed the issue of menstruation to be addressed by educational institutions. Various initiatives to make menstrual products free

Romania: abortion, mission (almost) impossible

04/07/2022 -  Florentin Cassonnet

In Romania, having an abortion has become increasingly difficult. Under the pressure of the Church and pro-life NGOs – and with the complicity of the state – women are losing this fundamental right. A reportage

Femicides in Turkey: a film honours Bergen, the "Woman of Sorrow"

12/05/2022 -  Kenan Behzat Sharpe Istanbul

As violence against women continues to rise in Turkey and the government targets activist organisations seeking to prevent femicide, a blockbuster film about a slain 1980s singer is forcing the country to grapple with its past and present abuse of women’s rights

Sezen Aksu, freedom of expression denied in Turkey

04/02/2022 -  Kenan Sharpe Istanbul

A recent intimidation campaign against Sezen Aksu, the queen of Turkish music, has highlighted how artists as well as politicians, journalists, and activists are subjected to censorship and pressure from power in the country

EU cohesion: the great erasure of gender equality

11/01/2022 -  Gentiola Madhi

The pandemic has accentuated the gender inequalities existing in the EU member states. Things were never great, but an analysis of the last financial period 2014-2020 of cohesion policies highlights how little has been done in this field

Women and politics in Kosovo: were the local elections a missed opportunity?

19/10/2021 -  Arta Berisha Prishtina

In recent years, the role of women in Kosovar politics has become more visible and important, as demonstrated by the election of Vjosa Osmani as president. The local elections, however, marked an uncertain step on the road to equal opportunities

The gender gap in EU parliaments

11/03/2021 -  Openpolis

While the proportion of women in the legislative bodies of the member states of the European Union has grown over the years, access to key positions of political influence is still limited — in some member states more than in others.

The gender gap in EU governments

10/03/2021 -  Openpolis

Women constitute less than a third of the members of governments in the EU member states. This share has been increasing over the years and it is above 50% in a few countries. However, women still struggle when it comes to access to the most influential positions in the government

Armenia and Azerbaijan: women peacebuilders on the post-conflict scenario

08/03/2021 -  Claudia Ditel

Women are not only victims of conflict, but also of gender discrimination, exacerbated by war. We talked about it with peace activists from Armenia and Azerbaijan

Serbia: denouncing sexual violence, a matter of courage

21/01/2021 -  Antonela Riha Belgrade

With great courage and determination, Serbian actress Milena Radulović publicly denounced being raped as a child by her then acting teacher Miroslav Mika Aleksić. Her gesture encouraged more testimonies and Aleksić is now under investigation

Surrogate motherhood and exploitation in Ukraine

30/07/2020 -  Claudia Bettiol Kiev

Ukraine is one of the few countries where surrogate motherhood is legal and commercial. Private agencies and clinics offer these services, fuelling the so-called "rent-a-womb tourism". Many Ukrainian women do it for money, but at what price?

Armenia and domestic violence: "If he beats you, he loves you"

03/09/2019 -  Armine Avetysian Yerevan

Domestic violence in Armenia is unfortunately still socially accepted. Fortunately, however, institutions are starting to address the problem. The story of Gayane

Tampons are subject to the same VAT regime as tobacco and wine

07/08/2019 -  María Álvarez Del VayoEva Belmonte

Since 2007, the EU allows member states to reduce the so-called Tampon Tax. But half of the countries, including Italy, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania, continue to apply a general VAT rate on such products

Are you in your thirties? Too old to find a job

19/07/2019 -  Armine Avetysian Yerevan

Age discrimination in Armenia's labour market is a serious problem, as witnessed by Karine, Karen and Anna. However, a bill that would change the situation is being discussed in the National Assembly

The fragility of Syrian refugee women in Turkey

24/12/2018 -  Burcu Karakaş

Violence, exploitation, marginalisation: these are the challenges of a difficult everyday life for many Syrian refugee women in Turkey

Turkey, the plight of women refugees

18/09/2018 -  Fazıla Mat

Women make up almost half of the Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey. In addition to the difficulties arising from their condition of refugees, they often face sexual violence and patriarchal norms

Albania: ‘If I were a boy’

03/08/2018 -  Gentiola Madhi

‘If I were a boy’ is the title of a novel by a male author published in 1936, which explores the inner world of a young girl living in Tirana, and her revolutionary thoughts on women’s emancipation and empowerment in Albania’s patriarchal society

Armenia: the red apple

05/06/2018 -  Armine Avetisyan Yerevan

In Armenia, the red apple, besides being a fruit, is also a symbol. It symbolizes the Armenian girl's virginity. In traditional Armenia an opinion is accepted that the girl has no right to have sexual relations with anybody before the marriage

No laws, just shame: Sexual harassment in the South Caucasus

06/04/2018 -  Armine AvetisyanNika MusaviDato Parulava

Inappropriate comments and propositions from strangers, groping, and worse are something women in the Caucasus are often forced to contend with, and while the problems seem universal, protections under the law are also universally lacking

Turkey: the map of violence against women

08/03/2018 -  Fazıla Mat

An interview with Ceyda Ulukaya, journalist and creator of the first map of femicides in Turkey – an original and appreciated data journalism project

Violence against women: the EU's potential accession to the Istanbul Convention

24/05/2017 -  Lorenzo Ferrari

Half of the EU member-states have not yet ratified the Convention on violence against women. The European Parliament and the Commission have decided that the EU as such should adhere to the Convention, which could signal a breakthrough for a genuine European policy against violence

Self-made women, from Ukraine to Italy

28/10/2016 -  Elena RisiValentina Vivona

Thousands of high-skilled Ukrainian women living in Italy are offered jobs for which they are over-qualified. But some of them manage to get their title acknowledged

Jasna's Bosnian herbs

28/09/2012 -  Anna Brusarosco

An Eco-centre. This is Jasna Živković's answer to the economic problems of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A report about rural development in northern Bosnia, between tradition and innovation

Albania: return to virginity

14/03/2012 -  Marjola Rukaj

A phenomenon that has exploded in the last 20 years. In Albania an increasing number of women undergoes surgery in order to regain virginity. For marriage. A report

Gendercide in the South Caucasus

14/12/2011 -  Giorgio Comai

“A boy is OK, a girl is not”. In the Southern Caucasus, male newborns outnumber females by more than 10%. Experts have no doubt that the cause lies in the practice of selective abortions, an already-known phenomenon in China and India. This clearly shows how gender inequality is still highly present in the region