Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-01-Speech-3-099"

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"Mr President, Minister, Commissioner, “Women are half of heaven”, a successful man once said. But when it comes to important decisions and priorities, there is a lack of women’s voices. Women, who constitute more than half of the population, are heavily under-represented within political, economic and social fields. That is unacceptable in a democracy. Where equality is concerned, the gulf between the actual and the ideal is nowhere more apparent than in the area of decision making. If we are to achieve a balance, a concrete action plan with a definite timetable is required. An important part of such a plan would be a benchmarking system to guarantee women’s full participation in power structures and decision making. I am therefore delighted that the Commissioner is well disposed towards a system of this kind. I propose that the EU’s objectives for women in the area of decision making should be based upon the averaged-out achievements of the three most successful Member States within each area, with the Member States each submitting a report annually which will then have to be evaluated. Women are the foremost victims of human rights abuses such as rape, sexual offences, domestic violence and the trade in women, but they are under-represented on the legal and legislative bodies which pronounce upon these crimes. The latter are consequently accorded low priority, and the perpetrators are often not prosecuted. Women are the prime victims of armed conflicts but are under-represented in peace-keeping efforts, conflict resolution and reconstruction work. In the resolution, we therefore urge the Member States to increase the proportion of women involved in all aspects of conflict resolution and peace-keeping. The call for women’s participation in decision making on an equal footing with men is not only a demand for social justice and democracy; it is also essential if women’s experience and knowledge are to be utilised to the full. Not to use women’s talents in decision making is an unacceptable waste. Women should not only be “half of heaven” but should also be entitled to take their share of responsibility for decisions which affect our entire planet."@en1

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