Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-10-10-Speech-3-173"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20071010.20.3-173"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Madam President, as a woman and also as a member of the Commission, first of all I would like to thank the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality for the defence of women in Europe, but also worldwide.
Concerning the situation in Mexico, I would like to point out that EU-Mexico relations are based on our 1997 global agreement, in which Article 1 identifies human rights as a fundamental element of EU-Mexican relations. On that very basis, both parties have established what I think, in the mean time, is a fruitful cooperation in the fields of human rights and justice, a cooperation which is then carried out through our different Commission programmes implemented by the Mexican federal authorities, as well as through projects carried out also by non-state actors and by NGOs. The Mexican authorities also keep us informed about gender-related violence in Mexico. So we learned that a number of cases had been resolved and many others were under investigation.
My last personal conversation with the new Mexican Foreign Minister – who is, as you know, also a woman – was in Santo Domingo, where we mentioned this question of feminicide and where I got some relevant information about what the Mexican Government is doing. They have also a special human rights adviser, another lady who is also working particularly on this issue.
In the case of Central America, as a region, the country where the issue is most critical is Guatemala. Our approach has been to confront the issue, both in our dialogue with the authorities and through, again, a number of activities on the issue of violence against women. This includes the mainstreaming on the gender dimension in all the cooperation programmes.
The Commission also organised, in March last year, an important communication campaign targeted at young people and decision-makers on how to stop violence against women. In the same period we also welcomed the creation of a national commission on feminicide, composed of officials from the executive, the judiciary and also the congress, and a total of 18 state institutions.
Recently, we also noted the creation of an international commission against impunity in Guatemala, which we also strongly support. As a part of this Commission programme supporting the judiciary, a specific component is dedicated to feminicide. In particular to activities carried out by the so-called CEPROM. This is the presidential office in charge, with whom we have a memorandum of understanding on cooperation.
Let me also mention our support for the preparatory work for the revision of the law against feminicide, now before Congress, with a view to the revision of the penal code.
Finally, let me say that I found a lot of goodwill and pro-European spirit in this trip to Central America on this issue. I was really positively surprised by the interest in enhancing regional integration, and cooperative attitudes also towards the forthcoming negotiations of an association agreement. I must say it was very important to see that even the interest in Panama was much higher than I expected. I am looking forward to the possibility of everybody there being included.
The first message that I passed on there was the importance of achieving progress on the negotiations that will finally start at the San José Process in Costa Rica. This is important because, naturally, it will be a political dialogue there; there will be a cooperation programme, and there will also be free trade negotiations. But it will be a compact programme.
Social cohesion will be among the most important issues in the whole of Latin America, including Central America, and there this programme also has a very great importance.
Indeed, juvenile violence and violence against women are issues that we find have to be there because we have to all do everything in order to diminish violence in society.
This report, presented today, is indeed to be seen within this context of a global fight against gender-related violence. This is how we see it, and I thank the rapporteur very much, Mr Romeva i Rueda, for what he said.
Feminicide is a tragic issue which covers a much broader problem, that of violence against women, which we must fight at all levels: at local, but also at global levels. And I would like to talk to you about what we as a Commission are doing to address the question of gender violence in general, again, and also in particular. To promote it through our external relations policy in Mexico and in Central Asia.
Also, if you allow me, I would like to say a few words about my recent visit to the region, because I was there just last week (but not in Mexico). I visited Panama, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. I had already been in Mexico and I will go there most probably next year.
I can tell you that the Commission is on the frontline in the effort of preventing violence against women. Let me remind you that, on 8 March 2006, the Commission issued what we called a ‘road map for equality between men and women’, outlining the eradication of all forms of gender-based violence as a priority objective.
In March of this year, we adopted a communication on gender equality in development cooperation, stating that gender-based violence in all its manifestations violates women’s human rights and is indeed a serious obstacle to the achievement of equality, development and peace.
The Commission also supports projects on education and on awareness-raising interventions aimed at engaging all adolescents in programmes aiming at changing their behaviour in relation to violence against girls and women.
For instance, as I said, I was just in El Salvador, and I visited a programme that is called ‘Pro Jóvenes’, which is for girls and boys – but especially for girls – who have either already been in the so-called Maras, or who could enter into the Maras, in order to prevent them from doing so. I was most impressed by this programme.
The New European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights also provides a wide scope for activities in the field of gender equality."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples