Women’s Rights and Gender Equality amidst the ‘Arab Springs’:

WIDE Annual Conference 2011 – Women’s Rights and Gender Equality amidst the ‘Arab Springs’: Challenges and Lessons Learnt across Regions: Brussels, 27-28 October 2011

The Arab Spring has had a dramatic ripple effect across the region, still in upheaval to many extends. Although women were prominent actors of those upheavals, issues of non-discrimination, equality and women’s rights face difficulties to be included in the frameworks of ongoing and/or upcoming constitutional reform processes. Moreover, in many countries retaliation against women has been brutal, ranging from rapes to virginity tests to imprisonment and torture.

The international community is playing a significant role both in terms of diplomacy as well as direct support and selective media coverage. “The Arab spring” has created new international interests as well as new funding pots. What are the implications for the peoples of these countries and for women’s rights in particular?

The aim of the conference organised by the WIDE Network is to discuss this issues in collaboration with with other women leaders from the region as well as with women activists from the European Union, and the Collective for Research and Training for Development – Action (CRTD-A).

The conference is scheduled to be held on 27-28 October 2011, in Brussels, Belgium.

For more information see http://wide-network.org/

Registration deadline in August 25, 2011.

The invitation and registration form can be found here.

Please contact: Natalie@wide-network.org and CC benedicte@wide-network.org