CYPRUS GENDER RESEARCH CENTRE

Legal Status  Non-profit, non-governmental organization established in 2005 in Nicosia. Registration Number:  EKIF is governed by a Board of seven Members.  It has its own structure of administration and a team of researchers with high academic qualifications and expertise in research and gender issues.  The Centre is a Member of the National Machinery for Women's Rights of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order.

Aims The main objectives of EKIF are to:  promote equality between men and women and reconciliation between work and private life  encourage respect and co-operation between citizens irrespective of gender, ethnicity and religion.  carry out research on issues of gender and equality in order to underline the need for change and more democratic values and citizenship.  organize activities and functions which will help to transform long-held perceptions on gender and eliminate discrimination in the social, economic, cultural, educational and political spheres.

Activities In order to highlight and combat gender discrimination, the Centre has been active in organizing:  events  research projects  interventions

Interventions EKIF intervened and protested publicly through press releases and open letters against:  the appointment of only one woman on the Council of Ministers (March 2008)  all forms of violence against women and female genital mutilation (February 2010)  sexual abuse of children (July 2010)  the appointment of no woman on the Education Service Commission (November 2010)  the reduction of the number of women candidates for the 2011 Parliamentary Elections (April 2011)

Network EKIF has links with public, private and academic institutions and organizations, which promote equality and democratic citizenship in all spheres of life:  Parliamentary Committee on Equal Opportunities between Men and Women  National Machinery for Women's Rights, Ministry of Justice and Public Order  UNESCO Chair for Gender and Promotion of women, University of Cyprus  Cyprus Women’s Lobby (CWL), associated with the European Women's Lobby (EWL)  Ombudsman’s Office  Cyprus International Children’s Organization Network- European University Cyprus  University of Cyprus - Education Department

Research Projects Project 1 Parliamentary Elections 2006: The gender preferences of the Cypriot voters (2006) Project 2 The representation of male and female teaching personnel in primary and secondary education and its implications on educational and social outcomes (2008) Project 3 Immigrant women - social profile, obstacles, needs and aspirations (2010) Project 4 Mapping the research landscape in Cyprus through the gender perspective (2011)