WUNRN
|
Roma
Women in the EU European
Parliament Women's
Rights Committee Report
|
Roma
women are among the most threatened groups and individuals in the Europe -
particularly in the ten new Member States and accession and candidate
countries, according to the Women's Rights Committee. In a report adopted on
Tuesday, the committee calls for measures to combat the extreme levels of
multiple discrimination faced by these women on the grounds of both ethnicity
and gender.
The
report, drafted by Lívia Járóka (EPP-ED, HU), urges EU public authorities
to "promptly investigate extreme human rights abuses against Roma
women, to swiftly punish perpetrators, and to provide adequate compensation to
victims". The committee calls on Member States to give the highest
priority to measures to provide better protection for women's reproductive
and sexual health, to prevent and outlaw coercive sterilisation, and provide
redress for such abuse, and to promote family planning,
alternative arrangements to early marriages, and sex education. It
also calls for proactive measures to eliminate racially segregated
maternity wards, to help victims of domestic violence and for particular
vigilance regarding the trafficking of Roma women.
A number of other areas of concern are raised in the
report. It urges Member States to ensure that all Roma women have access
to health care, and not only, as often occurs, in the case of
an extreme emergency or childbirth. Surveys show that the life
expectancy of Roma women is, in some areas, shorter than that of others.
Many Roma girls fail to complete primary education. Lívia
Járóka says that since education "is one of the most important tools
for escaping poverty, the dual discrimination faced by Roma women in the
field of education means that they will have a particularly difficult time
escaping poverty". The committee calls for measures at national level
to ensure that women and girls have access on equal terms to quality education
and for plans to end the separate, substandard education of Roma children.
A further burning issue, calling for positive measures, is the very high unemployment
rates among Roma women - in several places, many times higher
than that of the rest of the adult female population. MEPs also urge the
Member States to improve Roma housing by recognising in
national law a right to adequate housing.
The situation of Roma women in candidate countries
should, according to the committee, be a key criterion for evaluation states of
readiness for accession to the EU. MEPs recommend that the future EU
Institute for Gender Equality should have a unit dealing with Roma women
in the EU and encourage the gathering and publication of data set out by
sex and ethnicity, on the situation of the Roma people, so progress can be
measured.
25/04/2006
Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality
Chair : Anna ZÁBORSKÁ (EPP-ED, SK)
Procedure: Own-initiative
Plenary Debate: May II, Brussels
================================================================
To leave the list, send your request by email to: wunrn_listserve-request@lists.wunrn.com.
Thank you.