The European Network of Women with Disabilities was born on 4 May 2007 at about midday.

Over 100 women from 17 countries came to Berlin in Germany in order to set up this network. Women came from Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, the UK, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Austria, Rumania, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovenia, Spain and Ukraine. They all agreed on the need for a strong Lobby group of women and girls with disabilities in Europe to be able to represent our issues.

Weibernetz, the German network from WomenLesbians and Girls with Disabilities, was the host of this conference in Germany. Prior to the conference, we worked closely with Disabled Peoples‘ International (DPI) and International Training Advice Research (ITAR).

One of the main topics of the conference was the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This convention particularly strengthens the rights of women with disabilities worldwide. However, the written text of the convention alone is not sufficient. It must now be implemented into national legislation in those countries which ratified it. Naturally, the convention must also be a measure to all future European policy as a standard. It is therefore all the more important to form a European lobby group of women with disabilities at the time of the convention coming into force.

There was a lot of power and energy at the founding event of the Network of Women with Disabilities in Berlin. Everyone was highly motivated and wanted to network and talk to each other. Women wanted to hear about the conditions for women with disabilities in other countries. Of course, we laughed a lot too and partied and danced in the evenings.

Download of the Documentation

Read more about the conference, the speeches, the Living Situation of Women with Disabilities in Europe and the goals of the European Network!