Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-09-06-Speech-1-325"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20100906.23.1-325"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Madam President, I very much welcome the opportunity to present today my report on the social integration of women belonging to ethnic minority groups, an issue of utmost importance which is too often undermined. This discussion is also very timely, especially when we look at the events which have taken place this summer in France.
The Agency, together with national equality bodies, must include the transversal gender equality and women’s rights perspective in all aspects of their multiannual frameworks and subsequent activities.
I am fully aware that the challenge ahead involves the joint responsibility of the European Institutions and Member States by using all the instruments and policies at their disposal. However, on the other hand, the responsibility for effective inclusion becoming a reality lies both with ethnic minorities and with mainstream society.
To conclude, I would like to thank all my colleagues from the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality for the fruitful discussions we have had on this dossier.
I have, however, been rather surprised that during the drafting process of this report, national considerations have been interfering with its overall objective, which is to work towards improved cooperation between European, national and international players, together with the respective ethnic minority communities, and to deliver positive changes.
The recent events in France, and France’s policies towards the Roma population, are actually a good example of how we are not looking at problems from the right perspective, and how we are not addressing the issue properly.
Only through an integrated and cooperative approach with targeted strategies for the most vulnerable, especially women, will we manage to make integration within our European society a reality for all citizens, for all women, regardless of their legal status, race, age, sexual orientation, ethnic origin and religion.
Integration is very often discussed as a way to fight discrimination against minority groups. However, one fact rarely mentioned is that it is women who are the greatest victims of discrimination: once for belonging to an ethnic minority group, and again simply because they are female.
Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights prohibits any discrimination based on membership of a national minority, but there are ethnic minority communities living in the Union which are still victims of discrimination, social exclusion and segregation.
This situation cannot be accepted. Are we saying that EU fundamental rights do not apply to all people living in the EU? The principle of gender equality is also one of the key principles of the Charter, but sometimes it feels as if this fact is forgotten, especially in the case of women from ethnic minorities.
There is no universally accepted definition of ‘ethnic minority’ and the use of this term itself has been debated. In my report, I use the term ‘ethnic minority’ to act as an umbrella definition to refer to those groups, including, for example, the Roma population, who do not benefit from EU fundamental rights.
I tried to produce a report which evaluated the issues surrounding the social integration policies in the EU, particularly for women belonging to ethnic minority groups, and to highlight what works, where there are problems, and to help identify solutions.
One of the most striking issues is the one of access to the labour market and to public services such as education, healthcare, including reproductive health, and social services – and when I speak about reproductive health, I am talking about the right to have a child, not only to have an abortion.
In the majority of cases, these women are more vulnerable to social exclusion, poverty and extreme human rights violations such as trafficking in human beings and courses of sterilisation.
I believe that measures to overcome the exclusion of women belonging to all ethnic minority groups need to be set within the wider framework of European equality, inclusion and growth policies. In order to ensure the development of a democratic, open-minded society which transmits the values of tolerance and equality, I would like to point out the crucial role of the Fundamental Rights Agency."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples