Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-05-17-Speech-4-213"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2001-05-17"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Forced labour by African children2
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20010517.10.4-213"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2001-05-17-Speech-4-2142
lpv:speaker	lp:Margrietus van den Berg2
lpv:spokenAs	member; Delegation for relations with the countries of Central America and Mexico (1999-10-06--2002-01-14)3 vice-chair; PES (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 substitute; AFCO (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 unknown; Partij van de Arbeid (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 vice-chair; Committee on Development and Cooperation (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3 member; Members from the European Parliament to the Joint Parliamentary Assembly of the Agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union (ACP-EU) (1999-09-14--2002-01-14)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, over the past few months, we have witnessed the sad fate of children, uprooted from their homes, travelling on a slave ship off the coast of West Africa. As we established when we attended the parliamentary meeting in Gabon within the framework of the ACP-EU, these children are from various neighbouring countries and are taken to elite families in Gabon, for example, where they work in the household. They are farmed out by the ‘aunties’ – for that is the nice word for it, go-betweens, if you like – among those families. That means that they end up being slaves in those households, that they do not get any schooling, that they have to work from early in the morning until late at night, and that they are simply being robbed of their freedoms as a child. That contravenes all kinds of ILO Treaties. It is also fundamentally at odds with the Cotonou Agreement. One could at least expect that the elite itself, which often forms part of governments in the relevant ACP countries, would not take part in this practice. One could at least expect that according to the statutory rules of that country, action would be taken, or that they would take action amongst themselves. That is not done, however. I would therefore urge the countries involved not to classify this phenomenon under the heading of poverty, cultural tradition or ‘that is how things are around here’, and therefore difficult to stamp out, but to see this to be in conflict with human rights. Children have human rights, which are fundamental agreements. I hope that we will be able to take a pro-active stance and penalise those countries, should this appear necessary. That is a situation which simply cannot be tolerated. I would also like to broaden the topic and include child labour, but I explicitly focused on this well-defined problem in West Africa. The violation of children’s rights should finally be a thing of the past."@en1

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