B4-0293, 0294, 0304, 0309, 0314 and 0315/98

Resolution on International Women's Day and the violation of women's rights

The European Parliament

- having regard to International Women¨s Day 1998,

- having regard to its resolutions based on its Women¨s Rights Committee reports since 1984,

- having regard to the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights and the action platform following the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing on 15 September 1995,

- having regard to the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development of 1994,

- having regard to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) of 18 December 1979,

- having regard to its resolution of 19 February 1998 on the situation in Afghanistan ((Minutes of that sitting, Part II, Item 12.)) and re-emphasizing its importance and especially its support for the "A Flower for the women of Kabul¨ campaign,

- having regard to the anti-discrimination clause (Article 13) contained in the Amsterdam Treaty,

A. aware that equal treatment and equal opportunities are goals which have not yet been achieved either within the European Union or worldwide,

B. whereas, in countries where fundamentalist movements or regimes are in place, women¨s fundamental rights and freedoms have undergone permanent and very serious violations,

C. whereas according to UN statistics the great majority of victims of human rights violations throughout the world are women and girls, particularly among refugees and victims of war,

D. whereas according to UNICEF estimates there are 2 million new cases of sexual mutilation each year resulting in an unknown number of victims dying from complications and others remaining mutilated for life,

E. whereas prostitution networks and organized international crime rings exploit in particular girls and women, especially those who are obliged to leave their place of origin for social or economic reasons,

F. whereas women are still affected to a greater degree by the vulnerability of employment; whereas only a small minority reach decision-making positions and whereas women are greatly affected by the lack of progress in terms of professional activity,

1. Strongly reaffirms the principle that the rights of women and girls, including reproductive rights, form an inalienable, integral and indissociable part of universal human rights as acknowledged in the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights of 1993;

2. Rejects all forms of discrimination against women and girls on the basis of religious doctrines or perceptions;

3. Expresses its solidarity with women and organizations who, in spite of heavy pressure and the threat of violence, continue to struggle against the violation of their fundamental rights;

4. Strongly condemns the practice of sexual mutilation and calls on the Member States to prohibit it on their territory;

5. Calls on the Member States, the Council and the Commission to fulfil the undertakings they gave at the Beijing world conference on women's rights and to implement the gender policies that arise from them in the Union as well as in development cooperation and as an integral part of the different association agreements;

6. Congratulates the Commission for its efforts to ensure that the principle of equality is taken into consideration in all Union policies and asks it to ensure that the principle of gender mainstreaming is implemented;

7. Urges the Commission and Member States to give priority to improving information for women on their fundamental human rights and equal opportunities legislation in the European Union, in particular as a means of empowering them to take action to bring about greater equality between women and men;

8. Asks the Council and Commission to support the proposal to make 1999 European Year against violence towards women;

9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution, together with its aforementioned resolution on Afghanistan, to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the United Nations and the Council of Europe.