Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-10-10-Speech-3-170"
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"en.20071010.20.3-170"2
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".
Madam President, although the murder of women is a global problem, there are areas of the world that, due to both the magnitude and the complexity of the phenomenon, have become paradigmatic cases.
With the adoption of this report the European Parliament will be in line with other institutions that have already expressed their positions on the issue. This has been done by the Council of Europe and the United Nations, and of various parliaments and governments all over the world. Its content will represent considerable progress, both in defining the problem and in various parties taking responsibility in the fight to eradicate it.
One of the principles that comes out of the report is recognising, as a starting point for any analysis, the multiple causes and forms of this type of crime that exist.
It is certain that, for example, the highly publicised case of Ciudad Juárez – more than 400 women murdered since 1993 – has a great deal to do with the fact that it is a border city with the typical problems of such areas. However, there are also many factors that require efforts to be concentrated and integrated public policies to be implemented.
These policies include: prevention, investing in education for equality and reversing the patriarchal culture; improvements in data collection and forensic investigation; facilitating and speeding up reporting of crimes; training police, judges, prosecutors and doctors in this type of crime; monitoring of local businesses and multinational companies that operate in the area, many of which subject female workers to incredibly vulnerable conditions; legislative reforms and transposition of regulations at the appropriate levels of society; and finally, placing a special emphasis on support for victims and their families.
Regarding the latter issue, however, I would like to report here and deeply regret the fact that, on many occasions, the victims are despised and even criminalised; and their families are persecuted and even accused of harming the good image of a city or country simply because they want to raise awareness of the problem and because they want to demand, and do demand, justice.
Obviously those with the main and biggest responsibility for implementing all the measures proposed are the governmental institutions of the countries directly concerned, and in this case it is obvious that they are Mexico and the countries of Central America.
However, bearing in mind that the European Union has an association agreement with the former, which, moreover, includes a clause for democracy and respect for human rights, and that, in addition, a similar agreement is being negotiated with the Central American region, it is more than justifiable for the European institutions to take sides and make specific commitments regarding this problem.
Nobody should see this as interference by the European Union in the internal affairs of another country, especially given that, even though considerable progress has been made, as acknowledged in the report, especially from a legislative point of view, the magnitude of the problem requires greater effort and commitment from the whole world, especially Europe.
In short, I hope that after all these months we have achieved the necessary level of agreement and consensus so that tomorrow, in the vote, this resolution will be adopted by a majority of the House and we will finally send a clear and firm message about what it means to fight violence against women, in particular in the regions concerned.
Those places are also, very regrettably, mirrors that reflect many of the problems that, to varying degrees, affect societies governed by social patterns based on a patriarchal culture. This is the case, for example, with Mexico and the countries of Central America.
In fact, it was in Mexico where the concept of feminicide began to take shape, especially when the Special Prosecution Service for investigating and prosecuting cases of feminicide in the Republic of Mexico, chaired by the congresswoman Marcela Lagarde, established that the concept referred to, and I quote, ‘the sum total of crimes against humanity consisting of criminal acts, kidnappings and disappearances affecting girls and women in a context of institutional collapse’.
In short, it is a breakdown in the rule of law that promotes impunity. Although the concept is in the progress of being developed, some advocate the use of the term ‘feminicide’ in order to contrast it with the term ‘homicide’...
I would like to ask for a little quiet in the House.
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Thank you, Madam President. I will continue.
I was saying that, although the concept is one that is constantly evolving, in fact some feel it is necessary to talk about feminicide in order to contrast it with the concept of homicide, and it is significant that what it highlights is the existence of one of the most alarming phenomena of our time: the murder of women for the simple reason that they are women.
Over the last two years the European Parliament has done a great deal of work on this issue, and there will be an important milestone in this process when tomorrow, 11 October, the Plenary adopts the report on the murders of women in Mexico and Central America and the role of the European Union in fighting this phenomenon.
The report is also the result of a long and intensive process of dialogue with all the sectors involved and numerous compromises between the political groups. I would like to take this opportunity, in fact, to thank all the shadow rapporteurs for their support and inform you that also present here today are Marjo Searle and Arsène Van Nierop, the mothers of Brenda and Hester respectively, who were both murdered in Mexico."@en1
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