13/09/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
European faiths can still do much more to promote women's rights, according to four specialists representing the German Council of Evangelical Churches, the Moscow Orthodox Patriarchate, the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) and the NGO "Catholics for a free choice". They were taking part in a hearing on women and religion in Europe, held in Paris on Friday by PACE's Equality Committee. Manuela Aguiar (Portugal, EPP/CD) is preparing a report on the subject.
13/08/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
At the end of a fact-finding visit to Mexico from 9 to 13 August, Swiss parliamentarian Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold (SOC), who is preparing a report on "The disappearance and murder of a great number of women and girls in Mexico" for the Assembly's Committee on Equal Opportunities for women and men quoted two concrete cases of what she said should be called 'feminicides'. “On 28 February 2002, Clara Hernández Martines and her four children die in a fire set by an uncle in Ciudad Juárez. He declares he set the fire because she called him gay. On 22 September 2002, the body of Erika Pérez Escobedo is found at the side of a road in Ciudad Juárez. Despite the fact that the body shows signs of secual abuse and strangulation, the state prosecutor asserts she has died from an overdose and closes the case. These are only two of the over 300 cases of women and girls who have disappeared or been murdered in in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua (Mexico) since 1993," Mrs Vermot-Mangold said.
12/08/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
On the eve of the Athens Olympics, Manuela Aguiar (Portugal, EPP/CD), who is preparing a report on “Discrimination against women and girls in sport”, has denounced discrimination against women in sport – pointing out that women remain under-represented in sport, continue to face sexist stereotyping in the sports media and have only a handful of top jobs in sport’s governing bodies.
05/07/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold (Switzerland, SOC), who is preparing a report on "The disappearance and murder of a great number of women and girls in Mexico" for the Committee on Equal Opportunities, is currently on a fact-finding visit in Mexico (9 - 13 August) at the invitation of the Mexican observer delegation to the Assembly. In a February 2004 motion, 54 Assembly members noted the apparent disappearance of many hundreds of young women from the cities of Ciudad Juárez, Tijuana and Chihuahua in the last ten years, possibly linked to sexual exploitation. Mrs Vermot-Mangold has requested to meet federal and regional authorities, prosecutors working on some of the cases and NGOs campaigning on the issue. Mrs Vermot-Mangold will give a press conference at the Mexican Senate on Friday 13 August at 12.30.
23/06/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
There should be “zero tolerance” for domestic slavery – the fate of thousands of women across Europe who are forced to work in private households as domestic workers, exploited as au pairs or abused as so-called “mail-order brides” – the Assembly said yesterday. In a resolution, the parliamentarians called on states to review their immigration and deportation policies, screen agencies and adopt a charter of rights for domestic workers.
14/05/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
The Assembly’s Committee on Equal Opportunities will hold a parliamentary hearing on “a campaign to combat domestic violence in Europe” in Prague on 24 May, with the participation of the Czech authorities and NGOs. Jean-Guy Branger (France, EPP/CD) is preparing a report on the subject.
21/04/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
The Chair of the Assembly's Committee on Equal Opportunities for Woman and Men, Minodora Cliveti (Romania, SOC), has welcomed the gender balance reflected in the composition of the new Government of Spain. “The Prime Minister’s choice of balanced numbers of women and men for his new Cabinet shows not only his conviction that equality between the genders is a fundamental criterion for democracy but also his firm determination to change attitudes by eliminating stereotypes and prejudices. If women account for over half the European population and electorate, there is no reason why they should be underrepresented in political and public decision-making posts.
02/04/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
The Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men today approved a report on “domestic slavery: servitude, au pairs and mail-order brides” by Giuseppe Gaburro (Italy, EPP/CD. According to the text, the Council of Europe must have zero tolerance for slavery and should elaborate a charter of rights for domestic workers.
05/03/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
The abuse of au pairs, the servitude of maids or nannies and so-called mail-order brides were on the agenda of a colloquy on domestic slavery organised by the Committee on Equal Opportunities of the Assembly in Paris on 11 and 12 March.<br> - <a href="http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/Files/Events/2004-03-8Mars/esclavage_urgence.asp">Urgent need for new laws on domestic labour</a> <br> - <a href="http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/Files/Events/2004-03-8Mars/20040311_news_sga_esclavage.asp">Maud de Boer-Buquicchio: The aim must be zero tolerance for all forms of slavery </a><br> - <a href="http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/Files/Events/2004-03-8Mars/20040312_sga_esclavage.asp">Young au pairs in a position of complete utterly vulnerability </a>