Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-08-Speech-1-087"
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"en.20040308.7.1-087"2
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"Today, 8 March, a day on which we are paying tribute to women and to their fight for equal rights and opportunities, we must point out that, despite the progress that has been made in terms of setting out principles, profound inequalities and major discrimination remain in an enormous range of areas. We are a long way from complying with Community decisions, on equal access to work, salaries and promotions, and on promoting rights in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, establishing social support mechanisms for maternity and paternity, crèches and nurseries or structures to support the elderly.
Women still endure violence within the family, despite the programmes and legislation in force. Particularly serious is the discrimination faced by immigrant women and women with disabilities, despite the proposals that we have adopted here. Trafficking in human beings and prostitution continue to reach alarming levels in the European Union, and further socio-economic policies, high-quality public services and effective measures are required to solve the problems of poverty and social exclusion.
By putting people second, neo-liberalism prevents women’s rights from becoming a reality, makes unemployment worse, makes jobs less stable, devalues maternity and paternity and obstructs women’s participation in social and political life.
Some EU countries are lagging behind in both legal and practical terms. I must highlight, at this juncture, what is happening in Portugal. Despite all the calls to repeal the legislation punishing women who have to resort to the voluntary termination of a pregnancy, women’s dignity and privacy are still being attacked, not least in court proceedings, including the recent trial in Aveiro, of seven women accused of having had illegal abortions and their relatives and friends.
Even though they were all acquitted, they are still under threat from the Attorney General’s office because, demonstrating an attitude that persecutes women, the law that condemns women to up to three years in prison remains in force.
The attempt on 3 March in the Assembly of the Republic to amend the law was rejected by members who make up the current right-leaning government majority, upholding a situation that is an embarrassment to Portugal and which primarily penalises less well-off women who cannot make use of the safe health services of our neighbouring country.
Consequently, despite the fact that this Parliament has voted in favour of important resolutions aimed at promoting women’s rights, most decisions are ignored by the Member States due to the lack of political will to implement the measures that are adopted.
The major challenge is, therefore, to continue to fight to ensure that equality becomes a reality and that women’s dignity is properly respected."@en1
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