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Engendering Citizenship A Key to Democracy

Policy Recommendations from

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PUBLIC HEARING

9 APRIL 2014

Women’s citizenship was the topic that gathered decision makers, women’s rights and human rights defenders at the Hearing in the European Parliament in Brussels organized by the European Feminist Initiative IFE-EFI with the support of GUE/NGL group. In the heart of European Institutions the dominant speech considers that women’s rights and equality between women and men are integral part of the EU political system. But women know that there is still a long way to go for them to reach substantive equality and full citizenship. The links between all the obstacles to full citizenship for women have been uncovered and elaborated by the speakers from Poland, Jordan, Spain, Palestine, France, Sweden, German and Syria; from political participation to reproductive rights, from violence against women to institutional denial of citizen’s rights by the States. All along this conference these issues have been discussed by women and men coming from 21 different countries from the Euro-Med region.

RECOMMENDATIONS

There is urgency to mobilize, to act, to strengthen discourse, cooperation and cross sector dialogue on women’s rights and gender equality. Gender equality means that “women and men are of equal worth and imply ensuring the knowledge and experience of both men and women are used to promote progress in all spheres of society.“ Decision makers have the responsibility to act efficiently for abolishing all forms of violence against women, discrimination and oppression in order to enable women to live their lives without the fear of abuse or violence.

In the view of the above, the following recommendations to the decision makers and the candidates to the upcoming European election were issued.

• Introduce urgently binding legislation criminalizing and penalizing all forms of violence against women in order to contribute to filling the gap between formal rights and substantial/real rights and to the strengthening of the public awareness on the violation of women’s sexual and reproductive rights.

• Introduce policies that ensuring every woman’s right to work and autonomy and her right to balance career and family life in order to enable women’s participation in the political and public life on equal footage.

• Respect the international women’s rights instruments to fill the gap between them and existing laws, counteracting the increasing influence of religions in political assemblies, legislations and in public life.

• Pressure the national governments to adopt adequate legislation enabling the women’s rights organizations to play their leading role as independent bodies in reshaping the society and contribute to the fight against rising extremisms.

• Adopt gender power analyses of the society in the political assemblies and parties.

The participants discussed the role of the European Union in promoting peace and democracy in Europe, Euro-Med and globally. The following recommendations to the EU were issued.

• Impose parity in the lists for the European elections.

• Emphasize in the agreements with Southern countries (ENP) the respect of fundamental rights of women and men and make external policies accordingly.

• Acknowledge the women rights organizations as full rank interlocutors and support the vital for women’s rights principle of strict separation between state, legislation and religion.

• Promote a citizenship of residence that guarantees the same rights for all women and men living on the European territory.

• Introduce stricter policy measures addressing the Israeli occupation of Palestine to allow Palestinian women and men enjoyment of a Palestinian independent State and therefore right to citizenship.  

• Prevent arms export to Syria and urgently apply a political solution based on broad civil society participation, supporting the building of a civil, pluralistic and democratic Syrian State. 

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Boriana Jönsson

Euro-Med Program Director

European Feminist Initiative IFE-EFI

Email: boriana.jonsson@efi-ife.org

Web: www.efi-ife.org