BRUSSELS - This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the FEMM Committee, is designed to identify in which fields and by which means the backlash against gender equality and women’s and girls’ rights in six countries (Austria, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia) is occurring. The backlash, which has been happening over the last several years, has decreased the level of protection of women and girls and reduced access to their rights.
The aim and focus of this analysis is to explore the backlash against gender equality and women’s rights in recent years in selected EU member states: Austria, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. These countries were selected taking into account Opinions, all Initiative reports or the Delegations that the FEMM Committee has programmed in the course of 2018.
The report writes: "The present decade has witnessed a visible drive against gender equality and the women’s human rights agenda across continents. Looking at the European Union, the Gender Equality Index shows persistent inequalities with only a marginal progress from 2005 to 2015. 1 In addition, it is indicative that the theme of the 2017 Annual Colloquium of Fundamental Rights organized by the European Commission was “Women’s rights in Turbulent Times”.2"
