Andorran Women's Association Demands Abortion Decriminalization, Pay Data from OSCE

A delegation from the Andorran Women's Association (ADA) presented key demands for gender equality reforms to Hedy Fry, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's special representative on gender issues, during a meeting on 9 October.

The session took place amid the 24th Autumn Session of the OSCE-PA in Andorra la Vella. ADA board members Aline Pardos and Jessica Reynoso, alongside representatives from the Andorran Institute for Women, outlined six priorities. These included decriminalising abortion—currently a crime under the penal code—and guaranteeing safe, confidential access irrespective of women's financial resources or need to travel abroad.

The group pressed for housing measures targeting low-income women, single-parent families and gender violence victims, urging a gender-sensitive review of the crisis to secure stable access for those at risk. They also sought publication of aggregated data on the gender pay gap from the public employment registry, alongside tougher enforcement of corporate equality plan reporting and pension equity checks.

Further requests covered monitoring the new birth leave policy's rollout, its impact on careers and expansion of childcare to match work hours. On violence prevention, the ADA called for updated protocols incorporating digital harassment, with specialised aid for migrant women, those with disabilities and LTBIQ+ individuals, aligned to the Istanbul Convention and GREVIO standards.

The association highlighted gaps in the Equality Observatory's statistics, which lack cross-referencing by nationality, residency or job status, complicating risk group identification. Although companies have filed three years of gender disparity data since 2023, no public synthesis exists; the ADA demanded its swift release under data protection rules.

The delegation underscored the ADA's feminist advocacy since 1994, noting achievements like civil marriage, divorce, equal nationality laws, nursery schools and the 2026 non-transferable birth leave. They emphasised the value of international bodies like the OSCE amplifying local equality voices.