Programme

PERMANENT GROUP ON DISABILITY RIGHTS - PUBLIC HEARING 
8 July 2026, 10 am to 1 pm - Room VMA 22 and online

Ending Forced Sterilisation: Advancing the Rights of Women with Disabilities

PROGRAMME

Forced sterilisation of women with disabilities continues to occur across the EU, despite Member States’ obligations under international frameworks such as the UN CRPD. This public hearing will bring together perspectives from EU institutions and highlight recommendations from persons with lived experience, as well as from civil society and disability organisations.

09.30 - 10.00 | Testing connections

10.00 - 10.10 | Welcome & introduction 

  • Marie-Pierre Le Breton, President of the EESC Permanent Group on Disability rights (PG DIS) 

10.10 - 10.20 | Testimony by a person with lived experience

  • Véronique Bertrand and Monique Perau, sharing their lived experience

10.20 - 11.20 | Panel I - EU and Global Responses to Forced Sterilisation

Moderator: Sif Holst, EESC PG DIS and Member of the Civil Society Group (Group III)

  • Katrin Langensiepen, Member of the European Parliament
  • Maria Mollica, Unit for Gender Equality, DG JUST, European Commission 
  • Karin Flyckt, National Board of Health and Welfare, Sweden 
  • Alana Carvalho, Senior Program Officer for Advocacy & Accountability, Women Enabled International
  • Hanna Gibson, Independent Researcher and Consultant, Former Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellow at Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona

Q&A

11.20 - 11.30 | Coffee Break

11.30 - 12.50 | Panel II - Advancing Rights: Civil Society Perspectives and Good Practices

Moderator: Linda Romele, EESC PG DIS and Member of the Workers  Group (Group II)

  • Giulia Traversi, Women's RIgths Officer, European Disability Forum (EDF) 
  • Sara Rocha, activist, Vice-chair of the Women’s Committee of EDF, Vice-President of the European Council of Autistic People (EUCAP) and co-founder and President of Associação Portuguesa Voz do Autista
  • Christel Luc, Project officer, ESENCA
  • Good practice 2: work of Movement Personnes d'abord - TBC

Q&A

12.50 - 13.00 | Closing remarks 

  • Marie-Pierre Le Breton, President of the EESC Permanent Group on Disability rights (PG DIS)

Interpreting: Participants can speak Czech, French, English, Italian, Latvian & Polish and listen to French, English & Italian.