Change Is in the Feminine

The European Union for Women (EUW) formalizes contacts between EUW women and MEPs

Ana-Maria Cononovici, 09.10.2023, 18:41

The European Union for Women (EUW) is represented at the United Nations in New York, Vienna, and Geneva, the Council of Europe and UNESCO, and is an organization that formalizes contacts between EUW women and MEPs, protects the exchange of information on common issues and policies, and provide mutual support in the issues where it is needed. The EUW participates in the consultation processes of the European Commission. The joint resolution is forwarded to the European Parliament and national parliaments, as well as European and national party organisations. Romania was accredited as part of this association at the European level starting in October 2022, 70 years after the establishment of the EUW. And, as every two years an EWA International Congress takes place to discuss current political issues, EUW women’s representatives gathered this fall in Bucharest for the proceedings of the Women Creating Change conference, organized on Saturday, September 30, in Bucharest.

Aphrodite Bletas, president of EUW International and representative of Greece, told us:

“In our organization we work through thematic commissions, such as international policies, health and social policies, education. One of our commissions is called Europe comes to life, it is a commission that we could call cultural diplomacy. Every year we organize an event in one of the member countries, another one every time, so that our representatives can reach that country and get to know something more about it, from a political, social, financial point of view. To come and find out who we are. And the purpose of our organization is not to incite to activism or feminism, but to give women tools to empower themselves so that they can play a leading role in today’s society, in their chosen field, whether in politics, business, education or in the family.

Victor Nistor, deputy director of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the Romanian Police, had a message to prevent the spread of drug use among young people:

Our message was related to the fact that education, and mainly education about use of drugs, starts at home and among the family, and among friends, and among the authorities afterwards. As for what should be done, we should first of all become aware, and after becoming aware, try to draw some lessons from what we have experienced so far, and accept the fact that we live in a global world, where there are no longer borders , there are no more barriers, and at the same time let’s accept the fact that there are drugs on the market.

Asked if women can bring change, Victor Nistor added:

Yes, women always represent a change, because they are the beautiful part, and the part, let’s say, full of creativity among the police. We rely on them every time and every time they live up to our expectations.

Oana Maria Rotariu is one of the survivors of the tragedy at Colectiv, today an Explorer of Human Potential, a Body Positivity Coach, and she presented us with the message she was going to convey at the conference:

The main thing is that we are not alone. We live in a world where we are surrounded by people and unfortunately we feel alone. And what I want to pass on is that no matter how hard life is, we will always find people who will be by our side and who will support us, regardless of the circumstances. In the Conference I will present what disability means in Romania, what adaptation means in a society that prides itself on the uniqueness and acceptance of people of any gender, of any kind, with any problem, but this is not the truth. The propaganda we do is one thing, what we face is another. And a person with a disability, especially a woman with a disability, faces many more barriers in everyday life than anyone else.

She also assured us that vulnerability does not mean weakness and that women with disabilities are: ‘The voice that we can make a change in this world’.

Sat Dharam Kaur, doctor of naturopathic medicine, facilitator of successful programs worldwide, spoke to us about the care of women, the care they should feel from the first months of pregnancy, about protection in general and about trauma recovery:

“My work in the past has been about supporting women recovering from breast cancer and also about creating programs for people recovering from addictions, and about structuring the program called Compassionate Inquiry, a program developed by Dr. Gabor Mate and myself to teach people how to support those of us who have experienced trauma so that they can recover and feel whole.

According to her, the trauma comes from the feeling of lack of connection, which today is increasingly present, and due to the destruction of the traditional family. The team representing Romania in the various commissions of the EUW such as the Commission for Health, Culture, Education, International Relations, among others, aims to develop various social projects with the support of EUW International and the United Nations. The general principles of EUW RO are based on Social Liberalism, the main axes being Individual Freedom and Social Assistance. They aim to spread Peace, Justice and Prosperity, as well as to preserve Human Dignity and Freedom and the European Cultural Heritage and Tradition, while promoting Social and Economic Progress and Human Rights.