Brussels, 30/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - Several male and female MEPs from all the different parties danced in front of the European Parliament on Tuesday 29 January, to draw attention to the issue of violence against women. They were helping to promote the “One billion rising” campaign, which will bring worldwide mobilisation on this issue, including the dance on 14 February, calling for an end to this kind of violence.
This is the first ever dance by MEPs that aims to get all citizens to participate in an awareness raising campaign. The vice president of the European Parliament, Isabelle Durant (Greens/EFA, Belgium) declared that “political leaders and the public need to join us, to pool our efforts and demand an end to violence against women and girls, full stop. We'll do this by joining together in a commitment that will create a constructive tsunami to put an end to the violence against women. 189 countries are committed to getting involved in this initiative on 14 February”. Her colleagues, Franziska Brantner (Greens/EFA, Germany), Marielle Gallo (EPP, France), Ana Gomes (EPP, Portugal), Kartika Liotard (GUE/NGL, Netherlands), Ulrike Lunacek (Greens/EFA, Austria), Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP, Finland) and Cecilia Wikström (ALDE, Sweden) set out what would take place that day in their respective countries.
By participating in the “One billion rising” campaign, the MEPs are calling on the EU and member states to honour their commitments on this matter, particularly by ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and tackling domestic violence, and to guarantee that policies on equality and citizenship include a reference to ending this kind of violence and that they are funded appropriately. Sirpa Pietikäinen put the following question: “Is it not the duty of member states and their ministers to join us to adopt legislation in which all violence against women is prohibited and punished?” She added: “We need to begin at EU level and hope that this will help to inspire other regions in the world. The EU must adopt legislation on physical, psychological, sociological and economic violence against women”. The Parliamentary committee on women's rights and equal opportunities (FEMM) is preparing an own initiative report on this subject. (MD/transl.fl)