Something new is coming… 🎤 The Equality Now Lounge is a space for authentic conversations, where changemakers, artists, and advocates come together to share what equality means to them. Launched at our 2025 Make Equality Reality Gala and hosted by Soma Sara, founder of Everyone's Invited, and created in partnership with PAC NYC, the lounge celebrates storytelling, empathy, and joy, capturing moments that last long after gala night. Get ready to step inside. 💜 #EqualityNow #EqualityNowLounge #ChooseJoy #MakeEqualityReality (fb)

📍 Today, the Latvian Parliament is discussing a proposal to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, Europe’s human rights treaty on preventing and combating violence against women. “The Istanbul Convention is not a threat to Latvian values - it is a tool to realise them. It does not undermine families; it protects them from violence,” underlines the statement by Equality Now. Latvia ratified the Convention in 2024. Since then: 🔹 Laws have been strengthened to protect survivors 🔹 Emotional abuse was criminalised for the first time 🔹 A national strategy was adopted to coordinate prevention and protection Many civil society groups have raised concerns about the potential impact of this decision, both for women in Latvia and for wider regional cooperation on gender-based violence. We stand in solidarity with all those working to ensure that women and girls can live in safety and dignity. Read the full statement: https://equalitynow.org/news/news-and-insights/the-istanbul-convention-is-not-a-threat-to-latvian-values-it-is-a-tool-to-realise-them-and-it-must-be-protected/ #Latvia #IstanbulConvention #EqualityNow (fb)