WRITTEN QUESTION E-2627/03 by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Council. Follow-up on the Resolution on sexual violence against women, particularly Catholic nuns adopted by the European Parliament on 5 April 2001.
Date: 2003-09-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Catholicism, EP resolution, sexual violence, woman, women's rights

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/749

The European Union/United States document on agriculture refers to geographical indications as one
2.
of the subjects for discussion. The Commission will continue to pursue the objective of strengthening the
protection of geographical indications in Cancun.

In view of the different positions taken by the two sides, it is not possible to go any further at this stage.

(2004/C 78 E/0797)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2627/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Council

(2 September 2003)

Subject: Follow-up on the ‘Resolution on sexual violence against women, particularly Catholic nuns’

adopted by the European Parliament on 5 April 2001

On 5 April 2001 the European Parliament adopted a ‘Resolution on sexual violence against women,
particularly Catholic nuns’ (B5-0261, 0272, 0280 and 0298/2001) (1), which referred, among other things,
to the following:

a)

b)

the report in the US periodical the National Catholic Reporter indicating that a large number of
Catholic nuns had been raped by priests in at least 23 countries;

confirmation by the Holy See that it was aware of cases of rape and sexual abuse of women, including
nuns, by Catholic priests, because at least five reports on this subject had been submitted to the
Vatican since 1994, and according to those reports many of the nuns raped were also compelled to
have abortions or resign, and in some cases became infected with HIV/AIDS.

In adopting the resolution, the European Parliament called:

(a)

for those responsible for the crimes to be arrested and brought to justice;

(b) on the judicial authorities of the 23 countries cited in the reports to ensure that all appropriate

judicial action was taken to establish the truth about the cases of violence against women;

(c) on the Holy See to take all allegations of sexual abuse within its organisations seriously, to cooperate

with the judicial authorities and to remove the perpetrators from office;

(d) on the Holy See to reinstate those female officials who had been removed from their posts for
drawing their supervisors’ attention to such abuses and to afford the victims the necessary protection
from and compensation for any discrimination which might ensue;

(e)

for the content of the five reports cited by the National Catholic Reporter to be published in full; and

(f)

the Council of Europe,

instructed its President to forward the resolution to the Council, the Commission, the authorities of
the Holy See,
the United Nations Human Rights Commission and the
Governments of Botswana, Burundi, Brazil, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana,
India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Papua-New Guinea, the Philippines, South Africa,
Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania, Tonga, the United States of America, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

C 78 E/750

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

In the light of the above, could the Council state:

(cid:1) what initiatives were taken subsequent to the forwarding of the resolution?

(cid:1) whether contacts were established with the Holy See and the Governments of Ireland and Italy and

what the outcome of these was?

(cid:1) whether the European Parliament’s demands concerning those countries with links to the European

Union were formalised, and what the response was to these?

(1) OJ C 21 E, 24.1.2002, p. 353.

Reply

(4 March 2004)

During its meeting of 11/12 June 2003, the Council took note of the resolution mentioned by the

1.
Honourable Parliamentarian in his question.

From a general point of view the Council underlines that Women’s rights and the issue of violence
2.
against women are matters of particular concern to the EU. In line with international human rights
standards and based on the ethical and constitutional principles common to all EU Member States, the EU
consistently calls on governments of third countries to commit themselves to the resolutions and decisions
of UN fora and to apply legislation, measures and programmes aiming at the full enjoyment of the human
rights and fundamental freedoms of women on an equal footing with men. At the 59th session of the UN
Commission on Human Rights (‘CHR’),
this year, all EU Member States
co-sponsored a resolution tabled by Canada entitled ‘Elimination of violence against women’. Moreover, the
Presidency made a speech on behalf of the EU under CHR agenda item 12 in which it highlighted the need
to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, and in this regard drew particular attention to
the work of the UN’s Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls. At the time of answering
this question, another resolution on the issue of violence against women has been tabled, this time by the
Netherlands in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, which it is hoped will gain widespread
support.

towards the end of April

(2004/C 78 E/0798)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2652/03

by Emma Bonino (NI), Marco Cappato (NI),
Benedetto Della Vedova (NI), Gianfranco Dell’Alba (NI),
Olivier Dupuis (NI), Marco Pannella (NI)
and Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Council

(10 September 2003)

Subject: Infringements of legality in Lebanon

Given that:

(cid:1) the lawyer Muhammad Mugraby, aged 64 and a well-known defender of human rights and the

independence of the judiciary, was arrested in Beirut on 8 August 2003;

(cid:1) the disciplinary council of the Beirut Bar Association decided to strike his name off the register for

political reasons on 17 January 2003;

(cid:1) the decision does not become final until

the accused has exhausted all possibilities of appeal
(Articles 553, 563 and 111 of the Lebanese Civil Code and Article 28 of the UN’s Basic Principles on
the Role of Lawyers);