Baluarte
05-20-2013, 11:54 PM
The European Parliament is expected on Monday to discuss a motion for a resolution on women's rights in the Balkan accession countries in which it "calls on the Croatian authorities to fully implement the legislation stipulating 40% women on election lists for local and regional self-government bodies, Parliament and the European Parliament, considering that during the parliamentary elections in 2011, two thirds of political parties did not meet the prescribed target".
MEPs will discuss the motion during a plenary session in Strasbourg on Monday evening and they are to vote on Tuesday on the resolution pertaining to seven countries in the western Balkans - Croatia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia. The draft resolution was adopted based on a report of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality and the opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on 20 March this year which was prepared by Rapporteur, Dutch MEP Marije Cornelissen.
The draft resolution, which is a legally non-binding text, notes recommendations for each of the seven countries as well as general recommendations overall.
The resolution encourages the Croatian Government to continue the adjustment of its legislation with the EU’s acquis communautaire in the area of gender equality after accession. Croatia is commended for the establishment of the office of a Gender Equality Ombudsperson and the awareness of women’s rights and gender equality measures created by the visibility of this office.
The draft resolution welcomes the "progress made in Croatia in terms of the proper handling of cases of violence against women and gender discrimination by the police following targeted training of police officers in this field and encourages authorities to continue these actions." It however points out that cases are still not always properly handled by the judiciary and calls on authorities to initiate actions to sensitise and train the judiciary too.
The resolution further asks the Croatian authorities to "clarify in the National Strategy on Protection from Family Violence (2011-2016) which authority is responsible for what action and to award proper funding to authorities and civil society organisations to implement the strategy".
Generally the resolution condemns all forms of violence against women and expresses concern due to verbal insults experienced by women in Balkan countries and calls on governments to set up safe houses for victims of family violence.
The resolution also notes that 30 % of the victims of cross-border trafficking in human beings in the EU are nationals of Balkan countries, whereas women and girls comprise the bulk of the victims detected; stresses that gender equality, awareness-raising campaigns, and measures to combat corruption and organised crime are essential in order to prevent trafficking and protect potential victims.
(Hina)
MEPs will discuss the motion during a plenary session in Strasbourg on Monday evening and they are to vote on Tuesday on the resolution pertaining to seven countries in the western Balkans - Croatia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia. The draft resolution was adopted based on a report of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality and the opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on 20 March this year which was prepared by Rapporteur, Dutch MEP Marije Cornelissen.
The draft resolution, which is a legally non-binding text, notes recommendations for each of the seven countries as well as general recommendations overall.
The resolution encourages the Croatian Government to continue the adjustment of its legislation with the EU’s acquis communautaire in the area of gender equality after accession. Croatia is commended for the establishment of the office of a Gender Equality Ombudsperson and the awareness of women’s rights and gender equality measures created by the visibility of this office.
The draft resolution welcomes the "progress made in Croatia in terms of the proper handling of cases of violence against women and gender discrimination by the police following targeted training of police officers in this field and encourages authorities to continue these actions." It however points out that cases are still not always properly handled by the judiciary and calls on authorities to initiate actions to sensitise and train the judiciary too.
The resolution further asks the Croatian authorities to "clarify in the National Strategy on Protection from Family Violence (2011-2016) which authority is responsible for what action and to award proper funding to authorities and civil society organisations to implement the strategy".
Generally the resolution condemns all forms of violence against women and expresses concern due to verbal insults experienced by women in Balkan countries and calls on governments to set up safe houses for victims of family violence.
The resolution also notes that 30 % of the victims of cross-border trafficking in human beings in the EU are nationals of Balkan countries, whereas women and girls comprise the bulk of the victims detected; stresses that gender equality, awareness-raising campaigns, and measures to combat corruption and organised crime are essential in order to prevent trafficking and protect potential victims.
(Hina)