FAFCE elected Co-Chair of the Women’s Rights Committee of the Conference of NGOs of the Council of Europe

Strasbourg, 17 April 2026

The Council of Europe Advocacy Director of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE), Teresa Gerns, has been elected yesterday Co-chair of the Women’s Rights Committee of the CINGO, during the Assembly of the Conference of NGOs of the Council of Europe, which is the representative body of the INGOs enjoying participatory status with the Council of Europe. Through their Committees the NGOs can actively contribute to the decision-making process at the Council of Europe and to the implementation of its programmes, thus ensuring the representation of the civil society.

The Committee “Advocates for Gender equality and Women’s rights” works on analysis, policy proposals and advocacy concerning women’s rights, raising awarness about current challenges to women rights, contributing to opinions addressed to Council of Europe bodies and providing a structured forum for dialogue among NGOs.

Until now, FAFCE has been engaged as the Secretariat of this Committee and as the founder and lead of the Subcommittee “Women in the workplace“ (2024-2027), where the concept of “maternal mobbing” was explained and discussed in detail (notably during a Webinar on November 2025). Maternal mobbing is understood as abusive and discriminatory conducts in the workplace, targeting women wishing to have children, pregnant women and mothers, and the resulting difficulties to conciliate their work and motherhood. The Sub-Committee’s goal during this three-year mandate is  to evaluate these obstacles, identify possible solutions in collaboration with CoE bodies and pursue a collective complaint.

It may therefore be worth reflecting on how this role could serve the wider ecosystem of Catholic-inspired NGOs, making the most of an opportunity made possible by the commitment and credibility built by the FAFCE staff.