Therese Kazadi came from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Scotland and discovered that, just like in her homeland, women here are more likely to experience poverty than men.

Now the 34-year-old mum of three has taken her message to Europe's political capital, Brussels, to try and secure a fairer deal for women on the continent.

Therese, who lives in Cardonald, represents a Glasgow-based self-help group for refugees and asylum seekers called Karibu. She was in Brussels last week to take part in the GenderWorks conference.

GenderWorks was a two-year project, led by Oxfam, which investigated women's experiences of poverty and social exclusion in Europe. It aimed to influence change in European policy to improve women's lives.

The conference in Brussels brought together more than 30 women from across Europe to deliver a strong message to European policy makers. Scottish Labour MEP David Martin has backed GenderWorks and Green Party MEP Jean Lambert from London spoke at the conference.

Therese said: "The majority of people living in poverty around the world are women and that is no different in Europe.

"I've experienced poverty at home in the DRC and when I came to Europe I expected that poverty would not be such a big issue. But here women are also more likely to end up in poverty than men and the recession has only made things worse for people who were already poor to start with.

"Women take on added responsibility in times of hardship. They may already work a regular job but also have to look after children and their partner - they pick up the pieces in the household.

"Or they may be unable to work because the cost of childcare wipes out any money they make. Then there is the huge issue of domestic violence, which often leads to women being excluded from society or being made homeless when the relationship ends.

"Karibu works with refugees and asylum seekers and there are a whole other range of issues for them. A woman without citizenship status often can't report abuse for fear of deportation and so they are stuck in a cycle of poverty and violence and are sometimes forced into working in illegal areas such as prostitution."

Therese went to Brussels to listen to other women's experiences of poverty in Europe and to call on European leaders to make positive changes.

She believes that access to information is the key to helping women out of poverty but she also knows that public attitudes to gender issues have to change.

She said: "To help women out of poverty in Europe they need to be supported with the right information so that they know their rights and how to access those rights.

"However, society must also accept and understand that women are equal to men. For example, equal pay is still not a reality in many industries.

"When it comes to migrant women in Europe, the way they are integrated into life here almost sets them up for a life of poverty before they even start.

"The European policy makers have to take action now and put the policy recommendations of GenderWorks into place."

Also at the conference was a group of four women from Paisley who performed a moving performance piece.

The play, called Morag's Story, tells the tale of a woman dealing with the many issues life throws at her and her family. Rather than admit she needs help, Morag lets the pressure build until she is at breaking point.

Therese added: "The play was wonderful, a really powerful message. It had everyone in the room completely captivated. I had to wipe away a few tears because you recognise a little of yourself in Morag."

Visit www.oxfam.org.uk/genderworks for more information on the GenderWorks Project.