Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-09-19-Speech-3-128"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20010919.9.3-128"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of my entire group, I would first of all like to congratulate Mrs Valenciano on this sterling report and the recommendations it contains, to which I subscribe 200%.
By far the majority of women who have undergone genital mutilation – reference is made to 130 million – live in Africa. In at least 28 African countries located between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer, female circumcision is practised systematically. Outside Africa, it is practised in southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, on the Arab peninsula in Yemen, in Oman and in the United Arab Emirates. Even in a country like Egypt, few tourists who visit the sphinx realise that 90% of the women are circumcised. However, some of these women have fled to Europe in order to save their daughters from this treatment, or to have operations in order to ease the pains. But if these women were to return to their native country, they would be ostracized. On the other hand, a summer holiday in the country of origin can turn into a nightmare for migrant girls, when family members deem it necessary to uphold their tradition.
I have devoted years of my life to helping women who had fallen victim to the trafficking in human beings. From my own experience, I know that circumcised women are often considered unclean and are therefore sold as prostitutes. In this way, they become victims twice over.
African girls, who work in brothels day in day out, who, genitally mutilated, are sold and re-sold, rely on their clients to pay off their debts. I therefore urge the Member States and the Commission once again to recognise genital mutilation, or the threat thereof, as a gender-specific reason for granting asylum. We should not hide behind a possible review of the Convention of Vienna.
I would ask those in this House who are still not convinced to watch the videos that are being made of these ‘festive occasions’, as they are sometimes referred to in those countries. It is of fundamental importance that the silence around this taboo subject is broken. That is why socio-cultural programmes
as well as awareness campaigns involving the relevant migrants in Europe must be encouraged. We cannot continue to accept this flagrant violation of human rights and of the dignity of the women and girls involved, under the guise of national customs and traditions.
I would like to take the opportunity of saying that, in view of the excellent quality of the next report by Mrs Smet, our group will not be taking the floor: that report equals perfection.
By way of conclusion, I would like to congratulate Mrs Valenciano once again on the work she has done."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples