08/12/2009 Equality and Non-Discrimination
Strasbourg, 08.12.2009 – Should women facing gender-based violence in their home countries be entitled to seek asylum in Europe? What types of persecution do women, in particular face, which cause them to seek asylum? How can traffickers be stopped from exploiting them? Are Council of Europe member states accountable, beyond their borders, for the violations of fundamental rights of migrant women living in Europe?
These and other questions will be debated at a parliamentary conference on “Migration and violence against women in Europe” in Paris on 10 and 11 December 2009, attended by some 80 parliamentarians and experts from around 25 countries.
The event is jointly organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and forms a European regional conference within the framework of the UN Secretary General’s campaign to end violence against women and girls.
This conference will also address the effective protection of migrant women living in Europe and exposed to gender-based violence and domestic violence, an issue currently discussed by the Council of Europe expert committee which will draft a convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
Other topics to be discussed include how women normally residing in Europe can be protected from violence they may suffer in their country of origin, the special case of women migrant workers, and the help available to migrant women who are victims of violence.
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Practical information:
The conference is open the press, subject to prior accreditation (see contact below).
It takes place from Thursday 10 December to Friday 11 December 2009
Address :
• 10 December 2009, morning (9 am – 12.30 pm)
Room 6217 / Palais Bourbon, 126, rue de l'Université, Paris 7e
• 10 December 2009 (2.30 pm – 6 pm) and 11 December (9.30 am – 4.30 pm)
Salle Lamartine, 101, rue de l'Université, Paris 7e
Metro : “Assemblée nationale” or “Invalides”
Interpretation will be provided into English, French, German, Italian and Russian.
Contact:
Micaela Catalano, PACE Communication Division, mobile +33 (0)6 08 56 40 65.