The European Parliament

8 March 2011

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on equality between women and men in the EU 2010. The report “points out that violence against women is a major hindrance to gender equality” and “calls on the commission to start drawing up a proposal for a comprehensive directive on preventing and combating all forms of violence against women on gender equality”.

 

The European Parliament also adopted a resolution entitled “Reducing health inequalities” which underlines that everybody should have access to healthcare systems and that specific needs of vulnerable groups including disadvantaged migrant groups and people belonging to ethnic minorities should be taken into account. The EP also urges the EU and the MS to focus on women’s human rights, in particular by preventing, banning and prosecuting those guilty of (...) female genital mutilation”.

 

6 April 2011

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the recast of the "procedure directive". The END FGM European Campaign had suggested some amendments to this report which now makes an explicit reference to the need for special guarantees for vulnerable applicants who have been subjected to serious acts of violence such as harmful traditional practices. With this report, the European Parliament has given its position on what the EU plans for a fair and effective asylum procedure should be. This will be useful for the future negotiations between the European Commission and the Council of the EU.

 

5 April 2011

The European Parliament voted on a report which calls for a policy framework to prevent, protect and prosecute gender-based violence. The report also raised harmful traditional practices like FGM as forms of violence against women that cannot be tolerated under the guise of cultural requirements. This report adds weight to the existing calls made on the European Commission to deliver a strategy to tackle violence against women in the EU.

 

16 December 2010

European Parliament calls for coherence in EU's fight against violence against women and FGM

The Annual Report on Human Rights in the World 2009 and the European Union's policy on the matter released by European Parliament in December 2010 makes significant remarks on addressing the issue of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the world. The report calls for internal and external coherence in the EU's fight against violence against women and in particular FGM.

In particular, it "urges the European Commission and the EU Member States to address the issue of female genital mutilation in the framework of political and policy dialogues with partner countries and stakeholders relevant to this sensitive issue in the national context, using a participatory approach and involving affected communities".

Read the full report here

 

Sign up for a European Year to Combat Violence against Women

A written declaration has been launched by 5 MEPs for the adoption of a European Year to Combat Violence against Women. A European Year can ensure that the EU prioritises the

fight against violence against women, including FGM. The deadline for MEP’s signatures has been extended until 9 September 2010. On 9 July there were still 59 Signatures missing for the Declaration to be adopted.

If you are an MEP, please sign the declaration to help start a debate on violence against women - a crime that is often unreported and therefore overlooked.

• Read the Written Declaration in English or French

 

June 2010

Written declaration for the adoption of a European Year to Combat Violence against Women: END FGM European Campaign and its partner organisations have written to their MEPs to sign the declaration. 

 

March 2009

A Declaration of Intent was developed to urge MEPs and candidates for the 2009 European elections to renew their commitment towards working on ending FGM in the next European Parliament. A number of MEPs have shown their commitment by signing up to this Declaration, which is calling for 5 specific measures to end FGM.

• Read the Declaration and see which MEP’s have signed up to it.

 

7 May 2009

The European Parliament adopted a set of measures to improve the European asylum system. The proposal for a directive laying down the Minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers specified “Member States shall take into account the specific situation of persons with special needs in the national legislation implementing this Directive” and “provide necessary medical or other assistance to applicants who have special needs”. The European Parliament has voted in favour of the amendment of Article 21 of the proposal to include ‘victims of female genital mutilation’ in the list of persons with special needs.

 

In the European Parliament resolution of 7 May 2009 on the Annual Report on Human Rights in the World 2008 and the European Union's Policy on the Matter, the European Parliament stressed "the need to tackle the tragic phenomena of violence against women (including the practice of female circumcision)" in dealing with third countries (point 46).

 

24 March 2009

The European Parliament adopted a Resolution on combating female genital mutilation in the EU. This resolution reiterates previous resolutions and calls on the EU institutions and Member States to take certain steps towards ending of FGM in the EU and in third countries.

This resolution calls for “an overall strategy and action plans aimed at banishing FGM from the EU and, to that end, to provide the means required – in the form of laws and administrative provisions, prevention systems, and education and social measures, and in particular, wide dissemination of information regarding the existing protection mechanisms available to vulnerable groups – to enable real and potential victims to be properly protected” (point 2).

 

January 2009

The issue of FGM has been mentioned in the Resolution on the situation of Fundamental Rights in the Union 2004-2009. This resolution stresses the need for public awareness to combat the practice of FGM (point 60) and the need for a European legal framework “to ensure the physical integrity of young girls from Female Genital Mutilation” (contained in point 61).

 

2008

In the 2008 resolution adopting the report on Human Rights in the World 2007, the European Parliament stresses the need for the EU to address FGM in its relation with third countries. It highlights existing duties and mechanisms which include human rights dialogue, Cotonou agreement, millennium development goals and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) to ensure respect for human rights and combating FGM (point 91-96).

 

2007

In the 2007 resolution adopting the report on Human Rights in the World 2006 and the EU's Policy on the Matter, the EP clearly denounced the medicalisation of FGM (point 63).

 

February 2006

Members of the European Parliament raised the issue of FGM in a Resolution on the current situation in combating violence against women and any future action. This document urged the Commission “to devise a comprehensive strategic approach at EU level, with the aim of putting an end to the practice of female genital mutilation in the EU”.