Women's Issues Information Centre of Lithuania

The Women's Issues Information Centre (WIIC) is the national information service in Lithuania on the position of women and it is the focal point for national and international exchange of information in Lithuania. The WIIC is a registered NGO established to promote equal rights. It also assists women's NGOs and individuals by providing information, publications, etc. The WIIC seeks to collaborate, disseminate and exchange information with governmental institutions and NGOs. The WIIC also maintains the a network called "Government - UNDP - Women's NGOs".

The WIIC, in cooperation with the Government of the Lithuania, organized a nation-wide conference on women rights in Lithuania, entitled "Women's Rights are Human Rights" on the 24th of April in Vilnius. The representatives of all Lithuanian women's NGOs and representatives of governmental institutions were invited to the conference. The conference brought over 160 participants from about 50 organizations and governmental institutions. The conference highlighted the situation of women in Lithuania, demonstrated the gap between the de facto and de jure situation in respect of conditions of equity, participation and opportunity. The delegates of the conference submitted an appeal to the President of the Republic of Lithuania, the Parliament, and to the Government. The appeal covered different proposals on such problems as: violence against women, trafficking in women, women living in poverty. The two proposals made in this appeal were:

• Adopt the Equal Opportunities Law.
• Stop state financing of the Kaunas Technology University, until the university agrees to end discrimination against women in its entrance requirements.

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Last updated:    May 1998

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