The International Planned Parenthood Federation congratulates France on its historic vote to enshrine the right to abortion in the Constitution. We are especially proud of the tremendous work and leadership of our French Member Association, Le Planning Familial.  We are now awaiting the final adoption of this constitutional reform by the French Congress, a step that must formally be instigated by French President Emmanuel Macron. 

Yesterday, the European Parliament and Member States reached a hard-won agreement on the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence. IPPF EN welcomes this first ever binding EU legislation on combating violence against women. But we regret that, while the Directive contains positive measures, the final text is incomplete and represents a serious missed opportunity to ensure protection from all forms of gender-based violence for all people.  It is outrageous and deeply disappointing that lack of political will from national governments, notably France and Germany, has resulted in a final text that does not tackle the scourge of sexual violence, in spite of bold efforts from the European Commission and Parliament. 

On 24 January, as final negotiations on the EU Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence are taking place, IPPF EN and 11 other NGOs called on negotiators to take effective action and ensure that a robust Directive is urgently adopted. An open letter to negotiators in the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Member States, the European Parliament and the European Commission ahead of the final negotiations of this mandate on the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence (COM (2022) 105 final, 8 March 2022) We are writing as concerned organisations[1] that advocate for human rights, gender equality, and the right for all to live free from violence. As we have entered the final weeks of European Union institutions’ ability to negotiate legislative files before the next European elections, we call on European governments to level up and take effective action to combat violence against women and domestic violence by urgently adopting a robust Directive. We welcome this proposed Directive, as it provides much needed comprehensive responses, incorporating prevention, protection, support for victims and prosecution for a range of criminal offences which constitute violence against women and domestic violence. The adoption of this Directive is, however, endangered due to several Member States’ failure to agree to strengthen laws and policies at the EU level and endorse crucial measures supported by the European Commission and the European Parliament, as well as by diverse civil society organisations across Europe. If agreement is not reached in the next weeks, there are serious risks of this proposal being further weakened or not adopted at all under the next mandate of the European Parliament. This would leave women and other people affected across the EU without adequate protection from gender-based and domestic violence. We urge national governments to transform lip service to ending violence against women into concrete and effective action against this scourge that affects millions in the EU, including by ensuring that rape based on lack of consent is a criminal offence across the EU. We have been dismayed to see Member States propose rejecting the unprecedented opportunity to criminalise rape in this Directive. It is utterly unacceptable that some Member States are stubbornly unresponsive to the need to combat rape across the EU, hiding behind restrictive legal interpretations on EU competences. Sexual violence against women is endemic across the EU, with widespread impunity. Consent-based definitions have proven to guarantee greater protection and access to justice for women and other victims of rape, including increased reporting and prosecution rates. We urge governments to act in accordance with their international and regional human rights obligations, particularly under the Istanbul Convention, and agree on the most robust Directive possible to prevent, prosecute and redress violence against women. Therefore, as organisations closely engaged on the issues at hand, we call on Member States to ensure that the Directive criminalises rape with a consent-based definition, as well as female and intersex genital mutilation, forced sterilisation, forced marriage, and sexual harassment in the workplace. It should combat violence on grounds of sex and gender, and address intersectional discrimination, with specific attention paid to LBTIQ+ women, women sex workers, and women who are undocumented migrants or have an insecure or dependent residence status. We call for strengthened protection and access to justice for victims, including access to compensation and safe reporting mechanisms through the establishment of strict firewalls between immigration and other authorities to ensure survivors are not deterred from reporting violence due to their residency status. The Directive should further guarantee comprehensive support to victims and access to both general and specialist support services, including the clinical management of rape and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care for victims of sexual violence, as well as support for child victims. We also call for the adoption of widespread and effective preventive measures, including a clear obligation to provide comprehensive sexuality education. For more detailed recommendations, we refer to our joint position published in 2023. There are times when political decisions can make a profound difference to millions of people’s lives. This is one of them. Member States have an opportunity to enact a Directive that can be truly transformative. We call on you to show courage and leadership and grab this opportunity. Sincerely, International Planned Parenthood Federation – European Network (IPPF EN) Amnesty International Center for Reproductive Rights End FGM European Network EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community (EL*C) European Sex Workers Rights Alliance (ESWA) Human Rights Watch La Strada International, European NGO Platform Against Trafficking in Human Beings  Organisation Intersex International Europe (OII Europe) Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) The European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe)   Transgender Europe (TGEU) [1] Our organisations work on a diverse range of women’s rights issues. In the drafting of this document, we have been led by the expertise of women’s rights organisations and women human rights defenders from communities most impacted by the specific forms of violence described in each section. Our commitment to the text represents our coming together as a collective with shared values, even though not every organisation has its own policy or programme of work dedicated to each issue. We centre and affirm the expertise of women human rights defenders in all their diversity, and encourage the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the EU to do the same.

We can only achieve equal societies and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights for all if we ensure that sex workers are included. This has been the stance since 2012 of IPPF's French member, Le Planning Familial. Since then, the organisation has been defending sex workers’ rights and access to health, including the right to autonomy and bodily integrity and the right to work and live free from violence and discrimination. It describes itself as an ally, listening to and supporting sex worker organisations and adding its voice to calls for decriminalisation as the only way to respect human rights. Since the introduction of the Nordic Model in France in 2016, which criminalised the purchase of sex, reports of violence against sex workers have almost doubled. Criminalisation of clients has had a detrimental impact on the lives and safety of people who do sex work. Mel Noat from Le Planning Familial acknowledged that even now there is confusion about the law: “It is not illegal to be a sex worker but because clients have been criminalised, sex workers can’t work. Police often fine sex workers despite it being legal.” Because of criminalisation, clients want to avoid being fined, which in turn pushes sex workers underground into dangerous situations. With the current legal framework, they are more exposed to violent exploitation, precarious working conditions and are involved in high-risk behaviour just to earn basic wages. Mel said: “People work in dark places, without anyone around to witness violence from clients like stealing money, physical and sexual abuse, sometimes even murder. Sex workers have no choice over their customers, no choice of working hours, and no customer screening.” He added that sex workers face negotiating difficulties due to dwindling clientele. This, she argues, makes it harder to enforce the basics of sexual risk reduction like condom use. Whether it comes to access to healthcare, exposure to violence, discrimination and stigma, or financial insecurity, the harms of the 2016 law have been far greater for groups experiencing intersecting forms of exclusion, such as migrant and trans sex workers.   How the current law creates obstacles to protecting sex workers’ health and rights As a result of the 2016 law, sex workers are moving away from the traditional spaces where they would find and meet clients. Sometimes they have to venture to hidden places, such as apartments, which jeopardises their safety, as they are more isolated if subjected to violence or if a client refuses to pay. Many turn to intermediaries (pimps or sex websites) and end up paying back part of their income, which makes their situation even more precarious and reduces their autonomy over their work. Sex workers are often pushed into homelessness as they are forced to travel to different cities every few weeks to look for clients, now that these are more difficult to find. This affects their health and welfare as, for example, they don’t know where the closest hospital is, or where they can find condoms or information centres. People are also working more online, due to both the law change and the subsequent COVID-19 crisis. This reduces contacts with the community associations supporting sex workers’ rights, making it more difficult to provide information about healthcare and support. Sex workers are highly stigmatised and often face discrimination by medical staff. They find it difficult to talk about the reality of their work for fear of being judged, or for those who are undocumented, being reported to the authorities. However, there are spaces where sex workers can access healthcare. Some branches of Le Planning Familial are supporting people engaged in sex work through outreach and service delivery. In one region they undertake night patrols, offer condoms and rapid diagnostic tests and provide education on sexual and reproductive health. Elsewhere, the organisation collaborates with STRASS, the sex workers’ union, which provides peer-to-peer services in some of Le Planning’s clinics, as community-led services are proven to be one of the most effective way to deliver care to a key population group like sex workers.   The ‘exit programme’ is limiting and tokenistic The French government wrongly conflates sex work with human trafficking and has done little to review the impact that the legislation has had on sex workers. On the contrary, they are planning to implement a national strategy against human trafficking, which wrongly includes sex work. Measures in the 2016 law that are intended to provide a ‘pathway out of prostitution’ are not adapted to the realities and needs of sex workers. The allowance provided as part of this pathway is a measly €343 a month (three times lower than the French poverty line, which is €1,102). People can be granted a provisional residence permit, but only for six months, which makes it difficult for them to access accommodation, particularly social housing, as landlords often require longer residence permits. On top of this, professional opportunities are severely limited and tend to be in precarious sectors such as in cleaning or the hotel trade. The committee that is supposed to monitor the implementation of the law has only met twice in seven years and only those associations promoting the 2016 law were invited to the table, while sex worker-led community associations were excluded from the process. It is shocking that the government has refused to listen to the voices of the people concerned by the legislation, and to organisations that denounce its negative effects.   Partnerships for sex workers’ SRHR in the face of backlash The data is unambiguous: where sex work is criminalised, sex workers are at a much higher risk of violence. Yet, many pro-decriminalisation organisations face intense backlash, not only from conservative, anti-rights groups but also from well-intentioned organisations that claim to want to protect sex workers. This hostility can pose a challenge to advocacy efforts. To help overcome this challenge and speak with one common, stronger voice, Le Planning Familial has formed alliances with like-minded organisations. In conjunction with Médecins du Monde, Act Up-Paris and AIDES, it co-signed an alternative report in the context of the review of France’s implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This explained that the 2016 French law criminalising clients negatively impacts sex workers and is counterproductive. The organisation also widely shared and supported a European Court of Human Rights preliminary decision in August 2023, which recognised the admissibility of complaints by sex workers, confirming that the mere existence of the French law has harmful consequences for them.   Mel said: “We do not support the criminalisation or regulation of any aspect of sex work. Le Planning Familial acts and fights to help build an egalitarian society, free from commodification and violence. We are firmly opposed to human trafficking, violence, rape, pimping and slavery. We believe everyone has the right to autonomy and bodily integrity, the right to work and to live free from violence and discrimination. We support everyone's right to make their own choices through informed consent.” *** Mel Noat is the focal point for issues relating to sex work in the Board of Le Planning Familial. Read more about IPPF’s global policy position on sex work, which strongly supports decriminalisation of all aspects of sex work, together with social policies that address structural inequalities, as the only way to protect the health, safety and lives of those who do sex work. Photo by Loïc Fürhoff on Unsplash    

About the RBM e-toolkit It is a digital resource for interactive learning and practice that can improve your project design and implementation journey. It can be used both online and offline, making it accessible to everyone. The e-toolkit is designed to help beginners and intermediate level RBM knowledge holders. And it can be used by any staff and interns within the IPPF Secretariat, Member Associations and Collaborative Partners, interested in developing their understanding and skills in project design and management.  The online version of the e-toolkit can be accessed via the IPPF Academy Platform (M&E Section) - Course: RBM E-toolkit (ippf.org). What to expect Each module is a short lesson, with a maximum duration of 30 minutes, focused on key concepts, practical steps, and tools to be used during the project design stage. Practice worksheets are downloadable for direct use in your organization.  The current first iteration of the e-toolkit is focused on project design and planning. You can find guidance on how to develop a Project Theory of Change, following a given set of steps such as: problem identification and formulation; context analysis (using the PEA approach/ Political Economy Analysis); stakeholder analysis (using Power Analysis tools); problem analysis and diagraming (using Problem Tree, 5 Whys and Rich Picture methods); solutions and pathway for change identification and diagraming; assumption identification within pathways for change; The theory of change narrative and visualization. In 2024, the second iteration will also include guidance on how to develop an M&E Framework and Plan; and how to prepare for M&E Implementation during a project’s lifetime. If you are required by your organization to lead or take part in a project design or proposal development process, then the RBM e-toolkit is the right tool for you. The e-toolkit will help you design effective projects that deliver measurable results and ultimately make a positive impact on the communities you serve. So, go to the IPPF Academy and start your learning and practice journey. If you do not yet have an account for the IPPF Academy Platform, contact Anemarie Gasser at [email protected] for support.   Illustration by Bibi Sakata

As the European Commission leadership and European Parliament approach the end of their term, the European Week of Action for Girls (EWAG) is looking back at the past years to assess EU policy frameworks and regional partnerships and evaluate their contribution to promoting girls’ rights. The paper provides an overview of positive advancements, as well as shortcomings, and puts forward a set of recommendations on how to better advance girls’ rights in EU external action onwards.

For women and girls in the European Union, access to safe abortion care is a postcode lottery. A patchwork of policies and legislation shape whether abortion is free, safe, and legal. At the extreme end, a small minority of countries ban abortion in almost all circumstances, with devastating results. Most others allow abortion on a person’s own request or on broad social grounds, at least in the first trimester of pregnancy. But the devil is in the detail, and the detail frequently changes. Many EU countries impose medically unnecessary requirements prior to care, such as compulsory and discouraging counselling and waiting times – going against World Health Organization advice. In 22 out of 27 countries, doctors are still allowed to deny care based on their own personal beliefs – with dire repercussions for access. Hard-won progress can be swiftly unpicked. Issues such as gestational time limits, parental consent, denial of care by medical professionals, and care for rape survivors – among many other issues – remain subject to fierce debate and legislative change. These are debates that wreak havoc upon the lives of women and girls, but also their families. Denial of care is structural violence: in many of the 27 countries of the EU – a region that likes to present itself on the world stage as a model of progressive values – women and girls are harmed physically, emotionally, and mentally by abortion laws and policies, or the failure to uphold them.  International Safe Abortion Day (28 September) is a time to take stock of progress and threats to safe abortion access over the past year. This feature outlines some of the major developments in abortion legislation – good and bad – across the EU since last September. The rise of the right-wing Over the past few decades, the broad move in the EU has been towards liberalising laws around abortion care. Recently, however, the rise of chauvinist right-wing forces and politicians has seen energy and resources flooding into anti-abortion campaigns, fuelling structural violence against women and girls. In Italy, for example, the growing popularity of far-right and right-wing political parties, particularly in northern areas, has emboldened anti-abortion actors and legislators. With this in mind, the following section runs through some of the main policies and laws that harm people by limiting access to abortion care, introduced over the past 12 months – many of them linked to the rise of far-right and right-wing campaigns and networks in Europe and further afield.   The growth of new anti-abortion legislation Until recently, Malta was the only country in the EU to have a total ban on abortion. In June 2022, the government drew up new legislation, triggered by the case of American tourist Andrea Prudente who had to be airlifted to Spain for care after she suffered an incomplete miscarriage because doctors in Malta were banned and unwilling to intervene while foetal cardiac activity could be detected. In the new bill, the government proposed amending the Criminal Code to allow abortions when a woman’s health was at grave risk – hailed as a small but crucial step to improve abortion care access in this staunchly Catholic country. In the final months of 2022, the bill made steady progress through parliament. However, protests by hardline reproductive bullies, who said the bill’s definition of a health risk was too wide, forced the government to back down and introduce amendments. When the legislation was finally approved in June 2023, parliament voted to allow abortion care only when a woman’s life was at risk, and only with the consent of three specialists – a major bureaucratic hurdle. Maltese reproductive rights experts say this new law will put women’s lives even more at risk than the previous status quo. In Hungary, meanwhile, abortion is legal up to 12 weeks on medical grounds or if the woman is in severe crisis. But in September 2022, the country’s far-right government brought in by decree a measure that forces women seeking care to listen to embryonic cardiac activity before accessing healthcare. In response, IPPF European Network stated: “This requirement has no medical purpose and serves only to humiliate women. It will make accessing abortion more burdensome.” The legislation was brought in without public consultation or without hearing from women.

Join us on Instagram on June 13 at 4pm CSET, to launch our new campaign #AWorldWhere together with Liana Abdikarimova, IPPF EN youth activist, MEP Alice Kuhnke and Bénédicte Joan, feminist activist from the Ivory Coast. We believe we are members of an interconnected society and what affects one of us, affects us all. Everyone in society has the right to live with dignity and we believe it is our collective responsibility to ensure we all do. During this event, our guests will share their reflections on how the world could look like if sexual and reproductive health and rights needs are met globally and what we need from European policy makers to achieve this. What can you expect? We will be talking about strengthening healthcare systems, achieving gender equality, combatting gender-based violence and how our communities can change for the better if we work together to redesign systems so that they work for everyone. Join our Instagram Live and follow @C2030Europe for updates! This is the first of a series of events under the umbrella of the #AWorldWhere campaign aiming to drive Europe’s global commitments on sexual and reproductive health and rights, to meet Sustainable Development Goals targets, advance gender equality and strengthen health systems. #AWorldWhere is a Countdown 2030 Europe initiative driven by 15 leading European non-governmental organisations advocating for sexual and reproductive freedom worldwide.

The European Union (EU) is facing many obstacles in upholding its core values. Challenges such as the COVID pandemic, the Russian war against Ukraine, and the climate crisis have created unprece­dented uncertainty around our common future, and have increased existing inequalities, particularly for women and girls in all their diversity. The rise of autho­ritarian regimes and populist movements has led to growing opposition against EU values such as: the rule of law, democracy, human rights, and equality, inclu­ding a backlash against gender equality and women’s rights. Ahead of the pivotal moment that are the European elections, political parties must take a bold stand in the defence of EU values. The EU should actively tackle intersecting systems of oppression such as patriarchy, racism, neo-colonialism, and neo-liberalism. It should strive towards a world where everyone can enjoy the same rights, and lead free and safe private and family lives, free from sexism, coercion, and violence. We call on European political parties to put inclusive feminism at the heart of their electoral programmes, and to commit to further advancing gender equality and women’s rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), in the EU and beyond. Read below our recommendations on how we can create together an inclusive feminist Europe that promotes gender equality, women’s human rights and SRHR in all fields; that puts an end to sexual and gender-based violence; and that counters the threats against its values.

Today, the District Court in Warsaw found Justyna Wydrzyńska guilty for helping a woman in an abusive relationship to access abortion pills. She was sentenced to eight months of community service for 30 hours/month and will now have a criminal record. "We are deeply saddened by the decision and outraged by the entire process. Condemning a person for an act of empathy and compassion towards another human being is unconceivable. We are in awe of Justyna’s bravery in the face of 18 months of judicial persecution by an apparatus targeting anyone who dares challenge the state’s immoral attacks on healthcare and human rights", said Irene Donadio of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, European Network (IPPF EN).