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 by 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

10.20 - 11.15 | Panel 1: EU and Global Responses to Forced Sterilisation

Moderator: tbc, EESC PG DIS and Member of the Workers' Group (Group II)

  • Interventions by:
    • Katrin Langensiepen, Member of the European Parliament
    • Representative, Unit for Gender Equality, DG JUST, European Commission 
    • Example from EU MS: Belgium and/ or Sweden
    • International angle: Women enable
    • Academia: Esther Castellanos Torres, PhD SociologiaPhD at University of Alicante
  • Q&A

11.15 - 11.30 | Coffee Break

11.30 - 12.50 | Panel 2: Advancing Rights: Civil Society Perspectives and Good Practices

Moderator: tbc, EESC PG DIS and Member of the Civil Society Organisations' Group (Group III)

  • Interventions by:
    • Representative, 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
    • Good practice 1: Project by ESENCA
    • Good practice 2: work of Movement Personnes d'abord
  • Q&A

12.50 - 13.00 | Closing remarks 

  • by 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.