INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
Women's Rights Worldwide
in several short articles
Europe Court of Human Rights
January 25 - Britain has the chairmanship of the Council of Europe till May 2012.
Prime Minister David Cameron says Britain will bring forward European Court reform to fulfill a “once in a generation chance to enhance human r
ights, freedom and dignity.”
He added: “The Court should be free to deal with the most serious violations of human rights; it should not be swamped with an endless backlog of cases. The Court should ensure that the right to individual petition counts; it should not act as a small claims court. And the Court should hold us all to account; it should not undermine its own reputation by going over national decisions where it does not need to.
Backlog of cases
We have seen a massive inflation in the number of cases.
In the first forty years of its existence, 45,000 cases were presented to the Court.
In 2010 alone, 61,300 applications were presented.
This has created a huge backlog – more than 160,000 cases at its peak.
There can still be a delay of some years before cases are heard, which means tens of thousands of people with their lives on hold.
These will inevitably include some of the most serious cases: of detention; torture; people who have had their fundamental rights denied.
Election President of the EU Parliament
January 17 - The presidency of the European Parliament has grown in importance over the past decade. However, the president is still chosen in undermocratic manner. Although the EU Parliament is fond of speaking about democracy, its internal procedures are not transparent, and women are still largely absent from its leading positions.
Non-democratic elections with a fixed outcome
Martin Schulz, currently the leader of the centre-left MEPs in the Parliament, will be elected due to a deal struck in 2009 between the centre-right and centre-left.
For two decades, the election of a president has been determined by cosy deals struck between the biggest groups, from the centre-right (EPP) and the centre-left (S&D).
It is the relative strength of the political groups that has determined who has become president, not the qualities of the individual candidates.
Wallis is the first independent candidate ever to run for the presidency of the European Parliament, and she has the support of a number of MEPs across the political spectrum who want to change the status quo.
She lost. Martin Schulz got a big amount of votes, but at least, she tried!
Current EU pension systems
gendered and unequal
January 12 - The European Commission will soon adopt the much anticipated White Paper on pensions, which will set out a vision for affordable and sustainable pensions in the EU. The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) has written a letter to the Commission President José Manuel Barroso, making concrete proposals on how the European Commission can ensure gender equality in pensions. 
The outcomes of current pension systems are gendered and unequal. The gender pension gap, the difference between women’s and men’s individual pension entitlements that is the mirror of all the inequalities women have faced across their lives, is more than 40% in several EU Member States.
More than one fifth of the elderly women in the EU live at risk of poverty.
The EWL is concerned that the current tendencies to increase retirement ages, strengthen the link between contributions and benefits and emphasise the role of private pension schemes may aggrevate these inequalities.
Neelie Smit-Kroes on ICT,
Catherine Ashton on human rights
December 9, 2011 - Neelie Smit-KroesThe Arab Spring was a wake-up call for all of us. A reminder that democracy is not just a rich world luxury—but something which people hope and struggle for everywhere. And a reminder that, across the world, information and communications technology can support freedom of speech and enable the peaceful transition to democracy.
It is clear that, in particular, mobile phones, online social networks and microblogging sites have an incredibly important role to play. Helping activists organise, mobilise and exercise their rights. And so we should support the use of those tools.
So I have been looking further at the role of ICT.
I have discussed it with governments, NGOs, academia, businesses, and with colleagues in the EU's External Action Service.
In addition, I have personally met many of those on the frontline: activists fighting for democracy in their countries. And let me say, it was a refreshing and often humbling experience.
I acknowledge that the Internet and ICT are only part of the solution.
To build a house with solid foundations, we also need the rule of law, democratic governance, open and inclusive societies
, competitive markets, an independent media sector and economic growth.
My colleague Cathy Ashton will soon present the EU Human Rights Strategy, to help us achieve these important, wider goals.
What's more, I acknowledge that technology brings risks as well as opportunities for activists. Yes, ICT can help them communicate, organise and make their voices heard. But it can also turn the other way: despotic governments can use ICT as a tool of surveillance and repression; a means to track and spy on those fighting for human rights.
I want us to take both of these facts into account. I want ICT to support our wider strategy for Human Rights. I want it to be an instrument to improve people's lives across the world. The main strands of the policy we need to undertake are – technological tools, education, intelligence, and cooperation.
An EU Year to end Violence against Women
Brussels, 14 October 2011, European Women's Lobby
Join more than 25 European-wide organisations, around 70 national NGOs, and more than 250 individuals, calling for an EU Year to End Violence against Women.
To date, the EU has no binding legislation in place to deal with this most pervasive human rights abuse within its borders. However, violence against women affects approximately 45% of all women across Europe.
An estimated one-fifth of women in the EU suffer from violence within the home and more than one in ten women is a victim of sexual violence involving the use of force: in the UK, 80 000 women experience rape or attempted rape; in France, one woman is killed every three days by her partner.
For information, click here.
Female Genital Mutilation in the EU
Progress in fighting Female Genital Mutilation is slow, also in the European Union. FGM is an exceptionally brutal crime, says one of the most important EU politicians, Catherine Ashton. Yes, but what measures will be taken in the EU and when? Even her own country, the UK, fails in taking measures against FGM.
Legislation and other national provisions.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union is attempting systematically to gather information on the current state legislation and other national provisions dealing directly or indirectly with the issue of female genital mutilation. At this stage, data is available for the following countries:
A - Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan
B - Bahrain, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi
C - Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus
D-E-F - Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France
G - Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana,Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau
I-K-L - India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Luxembourg
M - Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique
N - Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Norway
P-R-S - Peru, Poland, Rwanda, Sao Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland
T-U-Y-Z - Togo, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
For particulars per country, click here.
EU strategy on violence against women
On 18 May 2011, the EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Ms. Reding, revealed the Commission’s proposal of a ‘Victims’ Package’, which consists of a series of measures to ensure a minimum level of rights, support and protection for victims across the EU. 
The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) considers that the lack of any explicit mention of violence against women, as a serious and prevalent crime all over the EU, demonstrates the lack of political will to address the structural inblance of power relations between women and men:
violence against women is the main structural expression of inequality between women and men, and its tolerance mirrors the societal failure to guarantee and protect women’s human rights.
Let us remind the European Commission that seven women die every day from male domestic violence, and that the annual cost of domestic violence in the 27 EU member states could be as high as €16 billion, or €1 million every half hour.
EU - Women and business leadership
April 20, 2011. The issue of women in decision-making has been high on the agenda of the committee Women's Rights and Gender Equality. A public hearing was held last year, which was followed by a discussion of the Rapporteur's text. At the last meeting, committee Members had a discussion on the (103 !!) amendments.The new EU directive on Trafficking
is accepted by the UK
March 2011 - The Directive in Trafficking was adopted last December 2010 by the European Parliament, but the UK (and Denmark) had refrained from opting in until this week, arguing that the UK's existing laws already cover many of the provisions contained in the Directive. The directive is now a fact
.
Victims are mostly women and children, who are trafficked for various purposes such as sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, domestic servitude, begging, and the removal of organs.
Trafficking is an extremely profitable business for organised crime: the third source of illicit profits after drug trafficking and traffic of weapons.
Figures
According to ILO, there are globally at least 2.45 million people in forced labour as a result of trafficking in persons.
Most people are trafficked into forced labour for commercial sexual exploitation (43%) or various reasons (25%). The remainder (32%) are victims of trafficking for economic exploitation. Women and girls represent 56% of victims of forced economic exploitation, while men and boys represent 44%.
As regards forced commercial sexual exploitation, an overwhelming majority (98%) are women and girls.
"Not For Sale"
EWL prepares debate on trafficking in women and girls
Brussels, 06 October 2011. To celebrate the EU Anti-Trafficking Day, the EWL will on 27 October co-host with UNRIC and UN Women a pr
esentation of the engaging documentary Not for Sale and a welcomes EU Anti-trafficking Coordinator Myria Vassiliadou to discuss trafficking in women for sexual exploitation.
Please note that we have a limited number of places therefore it is important to register by sending an email to: cine-onu@unric.org, with the subject field ‘Not for Sale’ and your full name and full name of guest (if applicable) - Maximum tickets per person: 2.
Picture: action against trafficking of girls during the IAW Board Meeting in Delhi, India. See also the article on March 2011, at the end of this page.
International Day against Female Genital Mutilation
6 February 2011 marked the International Day against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This is an opportunity to remind the world that the European Union condemns this abhorrent practice that severely violates the human rights and dignity of hundreds of thousands women and girls.
Joint statement by EU High Representative
Catherine Ashton and European Commission
Vice-President Viviane Reding
Today, we reaffirm our commitment to work toward the eradication of this exceptionally brutal crime.
We need to promote measures that will lead to the eradication of FGM. We have to focus on protecting and caring for the young girls and women who are victims of FGM. We will continue fighting gender-based violence in the EU and in our external relations.
No modern European democracy
without gender equality
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|
Catherine Ashton, UK |
Viviane Reding, Luxembourg |
Neelie Kroes, Netherlands
|
 |
 |
 |
Connie Hedegaard, Denmark |
Cecilia Malmström, Sweden |
Maria Damanaki, Greece |
 |
 |
 |
Máire Geoghegan, Ireland |
Androulla Vassiliou, Cypre |
Kristalina Georgieva, Bulgary |
The EU has installed a Commission of 27 commissioners for 5 years, one commissioner of every country, with a quorum of 30% women. Chairing the Commission is Jose Manuel Barroso.
The European Union
Five headline targets have been established on March 25-26 2010:
- reduction of poverty;
- an employment rate of 75 % of the working age population;
- meeting the EU's climate and energy targets: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, increased share of renewables in energy consumption and improved energy efficiency;
- reduction of school drop-out rates and more students in higher education;
- 3% of the EU's GDP should be invested in research and innovation.
These headline targets will be converted into national goals to be set by member states. The leaders had an exchange of views of what should be the EU's priorities for the G20 summit in Toronto in June.
The Netherlands
The Dutch EU delegation consist of 27 MEPs (Members of the European Parliament), including 12 women. Being a MEP is a full-time job.
One week each month is taken up with the Parliament's session in Strasbourg. The cost of that expenditure is 200 million Euro per year. Click here for finding all the European MEPs
EU Parliament and its Committees
Parliament has 20 outstanding Committees, each responsible for an area of community policy. There are also two subcommittees and special committees on an ad-hoc basis to address a special topic.
Each Committee elects a chair and four vice-chairs for two and a half years. Committees meet in public once or twice a month. The meetings are broadcasted live.
|
|