Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-12-15-Speech-3-068"
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"en.19991215.5.3-068"2
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"Mr President, in 1995 at the fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing, organised by the UN, 189 countries adopted a platform for action and a declaration in which the participating governments committed themselves to improving the situation of women.
If we examine the results after almost five years and with a view to the June meeting in New York, we should ask ourselves: What progress have we made? What has improved and what has got even worse?
We are witnessing many armed conflicts, violence against women and extreme poverty in many cases. On the borders of the European Union, we have endured the wars in Bosnia and in Kosovo, which have still not returned to an acceptable state of normality. There are currently conflicts in Chechnya, in other regions of the Caucasus, in Afghanistan, especially the Panjshir Valley, in Africa and other regions. Violence and terrorism have been present in Algeria and still no solution has been found to normalise life and allow progress in all areas.
In many parts of the world, women are victims of violence and traditional practices which do not take account of their personal dignity or their human rights. They are barred from professional life and even access to health care.
The trade in human beings particularly affects women, who are victims of organised mafias and prostitution. This particularly affects younger women and, unfortunately, does not only happen in the less developed countries, but also in the wealthy countries.
Women are reacting, however. They are reacting more and more and they are rebelling against those situations which degrade them and marginalise them. They want to participate in professional life, in political life, in the education of their children and in the training of young women. Numerous laws have been implemented to protect women and allow them to fight inequality, as well as allowing them to participate in political activity. Women are reacting: they make use of the laws in their favour, they organise themselves into cooperatives and manage to bring about a form of development which allows them to improve their quality of life. They want to participate more and more in technological innovations; they have discovered the opportunities offered by organising themselves and establishing associations in their places of residence, in their work-places and in their regions. They are getting better and better at fighting the old problems and achieving better lives.
However, despite the progress made, we have to continue working so that many women may have more dignified and fair lives. The meeting in New York, following on from the conference in Beijing, will be a good opportunity to continue working along this line. I therefore ask for more participation by the Parliament and support from the European institutions so that our presence there may be effective."@en1
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