Elza Pais

Elza Pais is the President of Portuguese Socialist Women and a member of the executive committee of PesWomen. She is a member of the Portuguese Parliament, currently serving as the President of the Sub-Commission for Equality and Non-Discrimination. Elza was the Secretary of State for Equality in the 18th Constitutional Government and President of the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (2005-2010). She coordinated the Structural Mission of the European Year for Equal Opportunities for Everyone in 2007 and was President of the Portuguese Institute for Drug Abuse and Addiction.

 Elza is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Policies against Gender and Domestic Violence. She is a researcher at the Centro de Estudos de Sociologia Aplicada da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (CICS.NOVA) and the Centro de Investigação em Direito Penal e Ciências Criminais (CIDPCC) at the University of Lisbon. Her published works include Homicídio Conjugal em Portugal – ruturas violentas da conjugalidade (2010), Uma Década pela Igualdade e contra a Violência de Género (2015), and Violência contra as Mulheres (co-authored, 1997).

Elza Pais received the Arco-Íris Award from ILGA-Portugal in 2007 for her active fight against homophobia and recognition of LGBTI rights. Her career focuses on social integration, drug prevention, combating domestic abuse, promoting women’s leadership, gender equality, and fighting discrimination.