European Parliament resolution on participation of women in peaceful conflict resolution (2000/2025(INI))
Date: 2000-11-30
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: civil defence, conflict prevention, participation of women, peace, peacekeeping, settlement of disputes, war, war victim

C 228/186

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.8.2001

Thursday 30 November 2000

12.
Calls on the Pakistan authorities to halt all forms of military assistance to the Taliban, including
troop command, recruitment or deployment, in accordance with the sanctions imposed on Aghanistan
by the United Nations Security Council, and to ensure that women and religious minorities are protected
and enjoy equal treatment;

13.

Calls on the Council to confirm its genuine resolve to isolate the Taliban regime diplomatically;

Urges the Council to tighten the restrictive measures against the Taliban and its representatives for

14.
as long as they continue to terrorise the population;

Urges the Council to work strenuously towards seeking a politically negotiated peace settlement by

15.
coordinating its diplomatic moves with Afghanistan’s neighbours;

16.
Calls on EU Member States to refuse to establish or continue any economic contacts with the Tali-
ban regime other than humanitarian aid and, in this connection, to strengthen political and humanitarian
cooperation with Afghanistan’s neighbouring states, which are under threat from the fundamentalist ter-
rorism activities supported by the Taliban;

Calls on each Member State to bring its influence to bear on Afghanistan’s neighbours, and Pakistan

17.
in particular, with a view to halting any interference which may undermine peace efforts;

Calls on the Council to adopt a new common position which takes account of the developments in

18.
the situation and attests to its willingness to act;

Calls on the Commission to take the necessary emergency humanitarian measures and to take spe-

19.
cial care in ensuring that they are applied evenly throughout Afghan territory;

Calls on the Commission to take urgent steps to dispatch an envoy to ascertain at first hand the

20.
most pressing needs of the population from all the parties on the ground;

Calls on the Commission to look into how an emergency food depot for people in northern Afgha-

21.
nistan might be set up quickly in Dushanbe;

Asks in particular the European Union and its Member States to help in the establishment of safe

22.
areas in the northern provinces, where the Taliban have so far failed to extend their influence;

Calls for direct implementation of the Ottawa Treaty on Afghan soil and the implementation of

23.
special EU assistance to rid the entire country of anti-personnel mines;

24.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the United Nations
Security Council, the Taliban authorities, the official Government of Afghanistan, and the governments of
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India, China, Russia, Iran, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

12. Gender-related aspects of prevention of armed conflicts

A5-0308/2000

European Parliament resolution on participation of women in peaceful conflict resolution (2000/
2025(INI))

The European Parliament,

8 having regard to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 10 December 1948,
and to the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action resulting from the World Conference on
Human Rights of 14-25 June 1993, in particular paragraphs I 28-29 and II 38 on systematic rape,
sexual slavery and forced pregnancy in situations of armed conflict,

13.8.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 228/187

8 having regard to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW) of 18 December 1979, to the United Nations Declaration on the Elimina-
tion of Violence against Women of 20 December 1993, and to the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child of 20 November 1989,

Thursday 30 November 2000

8 having regard to the General Assembly Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment of 10 December 1984, and to the General Assembly Declaration
3318 on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict of 14 December
1974, in particular paragraph 4 which calls for effective measures against persecution, torture, vio-
lence and degrading treatment of women,

8 having regard to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1265 on the Protection of Civilians
in Armed Conflict of 17 September 1999, in particular paragraph 14, requesting that United Nations
personnel involved in peacekeeping and peace-building activities have appropriate training in human
rights law, including gender-related provisions,

8 having regard to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3519 on Women’s Participation in
the Strengthening of International Peace and Security of 15 December 1975, and to the United
Nations General Assembly Declaration 37/63 on the Participation of Women in Promoting Interna-
tional Peace and Cooperation of 3 December 1982, in particular paragraph 12 on practical measures
to increase women’s representation in peace efforts,

8 having regard to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action resulting from the Forth United
Nations World Conference on Women of 4-15 September 1995, in particular critical concern area E
on Women and Armed Conflict, and to the outcome document of the United Nations Beijing+5 Spe-
cial Session on further actions and initiatives to implement the Beijing Declaration and the Platform
for Action of 5-9 June 2000, in particular paragraph 13 on obstacles to women’s equal participation
in peace-building efforts, and paragraph 124 on a 50/50 gender balance in peacekeeping missions and
peace negotiations,

8 having regard to the International Criminal Court resulting from the Rome Statute of 1998, in parti-
cular Articles 7 and 8 defining rape, sexual slavery, forced impregnation, forced sterilisation and any
other form of sexual violence as crimes against humanity and war crimes, including as a form of
torture and a grave war crime, whether they occur in a systematic or non-methodical manner, and
whether these acts occur in international or internal conflicts,

8 having regard to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the additional Protocols of 1977, stating that

women will be protected against rape, and any other form of sexual assault,

8 having regard to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Free-
doms of 1950, in particular Articles 3 and 4, which prohibit inhuman treatment or punishment and
torture, as well as slavery,

8 having regard to the European Council resolution on Integrating Gender in Development of 20 Decem-
ber 1995, in particular paragraph 19 stressing that a gender perspective must be paramount in emer-
gency operations and crisis prevention,

8 having regard to the Declaration and Agenda for Action of the United Nations Millenium Forum on
the Strengthening of the United Nations for the 21st Century of 26 May 2000, in particular paragraph
11 of section B on gender training for all peacekeeping personnel,

8 having regard to its resolution on women in decision-making of 2 March 2000 (1), in particular recital I
and paragraph 14 on women’s participation in peace-keeping, peace-building and conflict-preventing
activities,

(1)

‘Texts Adopted’, Item 7.

C 228/188

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.8.2001

Thursday 30 November 2000

8 having regard to its resolution of 13 April 1984 (1) on the application of the Geneva Convention
relating to the status of refugees, in particular paragraphs 1 and 2 on providing refugee status to
women who face harsh or inhumane treatment because they are considered to have transgressed the
social mores of the society in which they live,

8 having regard to its resolution of 17 December 1992 (2) on the rape of women in the former Yugo-
slavia, in particular paragraph 2 calling for the recognition of rape as a war crime and crime against
humanity,

8 having regard to its resolution of 11 March 1993 (3) on the rape of women in former Yugoslavia, in
particular paragraph 14 calling for proper medical support for women rape victims, specifically facil-
ities for termination of pregnancy, where that is the woman’s wish,

8 having regard to the outcome documents of its public hearing of 26/27 June 1995 on gender specific
human rights violations, and its public hearing of 18 February 1993 on rape as a war crime in Bosnia,
in particular their recognition of the upheaval that refugee status brings to the lives of women, and
the latter’s call for financial compensation for victims of rape in armed conflict,

8 having regard to Rule 163 of its Rules of Procedure,

8 having regard to the report of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities (A5-0308/

2000),

A. whereas the Geneva Convention does not refer to acts of sexual violence as a ‘grave breach crime’ or
as a specific form of torture thereby making it ambiguous whether sexual violence is always consid-
ered a war crime,

B. whereas women develop strength, power and flexibility in certain situations, recognise abuses and are
prepared to take initiatives for their families and for society, thereby bringing about positive changes,

C. whereas the United Nations General Assembly Declaration 3318 on the Protection of Women and
Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict is technically vague, failing to mention sexual violence
or the specific needs of refugee women,

D. whereas four-fifths of the world’s refugees are women and children and 90 % of war victims are now

civilians, mainly women and children,

E. whereas rape and sexual violence have been shown to be highly prevalent in refugee camps in, for

example, Kenya and Tanzania,

F. whereas rape as a weapon of war has been documented throughout history, most recently in the
former Yugoslavia, Sudan, Liberia, Uganda, Peru, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda, Bangladesh,
as well as in other conflicts,

G. whereas a wide spectrum of studies demonstrate that the mobilisation of male soldiers 8 both warring
factions and peacekeepers 8 contributes to the growth of prostitution around military bases and army
camps, subsequently increasing child prostitution, and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases,

H. whereas armed factions in conflicts across the globe, for instance in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sudan,

have captured young girls and women and forced them into sexual slavery,

I. whereas women who are raped during war are often stigmatised by their local communities and often

not provided with health care or psychological trauma services,

(1) OJ C 127, 14.5.1984, p. 137.
(2) OJ C 21, 25.1.1993, p. 158.
(3) OJ C 115, 26.4.1993, p. 149.

13.8.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 228/189

J. whereas several peacekeepers from European Union Member States have been dismissed from United

Nations missions for acts of sexual violence in Somalia and Mozambique,

Thursday 30 November 2000

K. whereas only four European Union Member States 8 Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg 8 have
ratified the Rome Statute out of the sixty states necessary to authorise the International Criminal Court
(ICC),

L. whereas, as a consequence of armed conflict, the breakdown of socio-economic systems and increased

levels of poverty, trafficking of women is a growing phenomenon in areas of conflict,

M. whereas women’s peace initiatives often cross warring factions 8 as in the Middle East, Cyprus and
Northern Ireland 8 and are often undertaken at great risk in areas of extreme conflict 8 as in Sudan,
Lebanon and Russia,

N. whereas women are often marginalized or excluded from negotiation and diplomacy aimed at ending
armed conflicts, as was the case in peace talks in, for example, Burundi, Tajikistan, and most recently
in Kosovo,

O. whereas the rights, priorities and interests of women are frequently ignored in formal peace negotia-

tions,

P. whereas women’s full participation in decision-making, conflict prevention and resolution and all
peace initiatives is vital; whereas their participation in peacekeeping missions has not been numeri-
cally significant until the 1990s, the increased presence of women in the civilian, military and police
components of peacekeeping operations has resulted in improved relations with local communities,
which is essential to the creation of a sustainable peace,

Q. whereas donor attention during demobilisation of military forces and warring factions generally
focuses on men, resulting in women often being excluded from aid and development programs asso-
ciated with reconstruction,

R. whereas the needs of girl soldiers 8 who have often been raped, used as sex slaves, had unwanted
pregnancies, have venereal diseases and/or AIDS 8 are generally not incorporated in demobilisation
initiatives,

S.

stressing that sustainable peace is in many ways contingent on community-based involvement and
ownership of the peace process 8 a process which can only be legitimate if women are equally
involved 8 and that the role of the international community in supporting civil society networks
that link local, national, and international initiatives is crucial to the peace process,

I.

The protection of war affected populations

Condemns systematic rape, forced impregnation, sexual slavery, and all other forms of gender-based

1.
violence in situations of armed conflict;

2.

Condemns the sexual misconduct of soldiers involved in peacekeeping operations;

3.

Condemns the use of child soldiers of both sexes;

4.
Calls upon the Member States to take all necessary steps to amend Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva
Protocol to define rape, forced impregnation, sexual slavery, forced sterilization, and any other forms of
sexual violence as grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions;

C 228/190

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.8.2001

Thursday 30 November 2000

5.
Calls upon Member States to ratify the Treaty of Rome authorising an International Criminal Court,
which formally recognises rape, forced impregnation, forced sterilisation, sexual slavery and any other
form of sexual violence as crimes against humanity and war crimes, including as a form of torture and a
grave war crime, whether they occur in a systematic or non-methodical manner;

6.
Calls on the Member States to take action at the United Nations Commission on the Status of
Women and advocate the updating of the wording of the Declaration on the Protection of Women and
Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict to include sexual violence and the specific needs of refugee
women;

Calls on the Member States to take action at the United Nations to ensure the appointment of a

7.
Special Rapporteur on women in armed conflict situations;

Calls on the Commission and the Member States to gender sensitise peace and security related initia-

8.
tives, and to that end:

(a) provide training on the gender-aspects of conflict resolution and peace-building to staff engaged in

policies concerning conflict at headquarters and in field offices,

(b) utilise local gender expertise in field offices,

(c)

foster research on the development of gender-based violence during and after armed conflicts,

(d) provide gender training at an early stage in the training of military personnel so that respect for

women becomes a matter of course and a female-friendly atmosphere prevails in the army,

(e)

ensure that actions against trafficking in women in conflict affected areas form part of such initiatives;

Calls on the Commission and the Member States to integrate a gender perspective in the planning of

9.
refugee camps under their funding auspices, and to that end:

(a) make sure that all the initiatives they fund are in line with international agreements and norms con-
cerning refugee women, such as the UNHCR guidelines on the Protection of Refugee Women and on
the Prevention of and Response to Sexual Violence against Refugees,

(b) protect refugees and internally displaced women and children from the possibility of sexual abuse
through the provision of appropriate preventive measures at the very stage when camps are divided
up,

(c)

secure the right of women refugees to self-determination through appropriate economic opportunities
and equal representation in refugee committees and other decision-making bodies in refugee camps,

(d)

secure safe conditions of return for women and girls returning to their geographical areas of origin;

Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make available adequate financial resources so
10.
that victims of rape and assault in areas with an armed conflict can receive psychological counselling and
have the choice between terminating the pregnancy or giving birth discreetly and so that victims of these
outrages can be protected;

11.
Calls on the Commission to set aside a certain percentage of the € 216 million refugee fund for the
training of reception centre civil servants, police officers, and health staff to meet the particular needs of
refugee women;

Calls on the Member States to introduce a gender perspective in their refugee policies, and to that

12.
end:

(a) under specific conditions grant temporary refugee status to women who have been raped or have
been subjected to other forms of sexual violence during armed conflict, occupation and/or transition,

13.8.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 228/191

Thursday 30 November 2000

(b) provide rape victims with treatment for trauma and offer them practical help as outlined in para-
graph 14 of its aforementioned resolution of 11 March 1993 on the rape of women in Former Yugo-
slavia,

(c)

ensure that detention/reception centres for refugees include separate facilities for non-related men and
women, concurrent with the appointment of gender trained staff in the women’s section;

II.

International efforts to prevent and solve armed conflicts

Calls on the Member States to promote equal participation of women in diplomatic conflict resolu-

13.
tion and reconstruction initiatives at all levels, and to that end:

(a)

recruit more women to the diplomatic services of Member States,

(b)

train women within the diplomatic corps of Member States in negotiation, facilitation and mediation
skills, creating rosters of qualified women for peace and security related assignments,

(c) nominate more women to international diplomatic assignments, specifically to senior positions

(UN special representatives, peace commissions, fact-finding missions, etc.),

(d)

increase the percentage of women in delegations to national, regional and international meetings con-
cerned with peace and security, as well as in formal peace negotiations,

(e)

require international diplomatic peace teams to systematically consult with women’s community-based
peace groups and organisations, ensuring that their problems and priorities are reflected in the official
peace process;

Calls on the Council and the Member States to promote the gender sensitisation of peace, security

14.
and reconstruction operations in which they participate, and to that end:

(a) make a gender analysis an automatic element in the planning and practice of external interventions.
Specifically, analysing the extent to which women’s social, economic and political marginalization
increase as a result of the conflict, as well as the opportunities for improving women’s position as a
result of the changed situation,

(b) ensure that all military personnel 8 male as well as female 8 and specifically peace-building, peace-

keeping, and peace-enforcement personnel have thorough gender training,

(c) have magistrates and human rights observers accompany peacekeepers to ensure that international law

is upheld;

15.
Stresses that current conflicts demand the increased use of non-military crisis management, which
means that new non-military skills are required of peacekeepers, resulting in enhanced opportunities for
women, and calls on the Member States and the Council to:

(a)

include women in all reconciliation, peacekeeping, peace-enforcement, peace building, and conflict
preventive posts 8 including fact-finding and observer missions 8 in which Member States partici-
pate,

(b)

secure that women participating in peacekeeping operations are bound by United Nations norms and
international human rights principles and not by discriminatory local restrictions,

(c) promote the use of all female fact-finding and assistance teams to respond to sexual violence and

other situations where demanded by the cultural context;

C 228/192

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.8.2001

Thursday 30 November 2000

16.
Stresses that reconciliation of deep-seated conflicts present an unequalled opportunity to create the
framework for a democratic and equal society, and to that end, calls on the Commission and the Member
States to promote constitutional protections of women’s equality in the design of the peace accords;

III. Community-based participation in the prevention and resolution of armed conflicts

17.
Points out that most women are traditionally associated with non-violence, while their lives and
value systems are interwoven with the protection of life, dialogue, reconciliation, negotiation and the
peaceful settlement of disputes, values which may provide an alternative solution to the modern culture
of violence and lay the foundations for a new culture, the culture of peace, the strengthening of dialogue at
all levels, the equitable distribution of the planet’s resources and respect for racial, religious and cultural
differences;

Stresses the importance of active local involvement in the peace and reconciliation process; and

18.
calls upon the Member States and the Commission to:

(a)

support the creation and strengthening of non-governmental organisations, including women’s orga-
nisations, active in conflict prevention and in post-conflict peace and reconstruction work,

(b) work towards the education of women’s organisations in non-violent conflict resolution;

Calls on the Member States and the Commission to systematically promote the participation of

19.
women in the official conflict resolution process, and to that end:

(a)

encourage that warring factions incorporate women into their peace negotiation teams,

(b) ensure that gender inequalities and repercussions are discussed systematically in each area of negotia-

tion,

(c)

ensure that the peace process is deeply rooted, through requesting that warring factions incorporate
civil society representatives into their peace negotiation teams,

(d)

support public awareness raising campaigns and debates about the contents of the peace negotiations;

20.
Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that women who are frequently the
most vulnerable, and who often have a crucial role in the rebuilding of their societies, are not marginalised
by inappropriate demobilisation and reconstruction initiatives, and to that end:

(a) promote a public debate in post-conflict regions concerning gender-based abuses in order to avoid a

repetition of violence,

(b) ensure that both women and men benefit from reconstruction initiatives, specifically that female ex-

combatants are not excluded or made worse off from demobilisation programs,

(c)

set aside a specific percentage of demobilisation and reconstruction funds for women’s political and
economic empowerment,

(d) pay particular attention to the specific rehabilitation needs of girl soldiers within demobilisation initia-

tives;

Calls on the Commission and the Council to inform the European Parliament on an annual basis on

21.
the progress, programmes and initiatives undertaken as a consequence of this resolution

13.8.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 228/193

Calls on the Council, Commission, and the UN Secretary General to in all reporting on peace and

22.
security related initiatives include a chapter covering gender related aspects;

Thursday 30 November 2000

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the UN Secre-

23.
tary General.

*

*

*

13. Regulating domestic help

A5-0301/2000

European Parliament resolution on regulating domestic help in the informal sector (2000/
2021(INI))

The European Parliament,

8 having regard to the fifth indent of Article 137(1) of the Treaty establishing the European Community,

8 having regard to ILO Convention C177 on Home Work,

8 having regard to the International Labour Office’s International Standard Classification of Occupations,

ISCO-88,

8 having regard to its resolution of 4 November 1999 (1) on the Commission’s draft Joint Employment

Report 1999 (SEC(1999) 1386 8 C5-0215/1999),

8 having regard to its resolution of 21 September 2000 (2) on the Commission Communication on

undeclared work (COM(1998) 219 8 C5-0566/1998 8 1998/2082(COS),

8 having regard to Rule 163 of its Rules of Procedure,

8 having regard to the report of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities (A5-0301/

2000),

A. whereas ‘domestic help’ is a concept that has not been defined,

B. whereas the proportion of women in paid employment is constantly increasing,

C. whereas it is very difficult to ascertain the extent of the black economy and of undeclared domestic

work,

D. whereas undeclared work has important repercussions on national budgets and residents’ incomes,

E. whereas domestic work, by its very nature, is more likely to involve working flexible or split time-
tables for a number of different employers while earning minimal salary, which is generally unde-
clared,

F.

having regard to the number of families in which both parents work full time,

G. having regard to the increasing number of single-parent families,

H. whereas there has been a considerable increase in demand for domestic help as a result of changes in
family circumstances, work circumstances, the way time is spent and the interests of both men and
women,

(1) OJ C 158, 7.6.2000, p. 43.
(2) See minutes of the sitting, Part II, Item 13.