Brussels, 07/03/2002 (Agence Europe) - On the occasion of the International of the Woman on Friday 8 March, EP President Pat Cox reminded journalists of what had already been achieved for women at European level (the year 2000 was devoted to combating the trafficking in women, 2001 against sexual mutilation, and 2002 against violence towards women). In the European Parliament, we are trying to have as many women as possible elected to the institution, said Mr. Cox, regretting that there were so few women in the Convention on the future of Europe. As for violence towards women, he noted that, according to Unicef data for 2001, conjugal violence caused more injuries and deaths than cancer among women aged between 45 and 65, and made more victims than malaria and many other illnesses.
The Chair of the Committee on Women's Rights, Anna Karamanou, Greek Socialist, has organised a conference on "Women for a more humane and non-violent society", devoted in particular to the fate of women in the fundamentalist regimes of Africa and elsewhere. The violations of women's rights are incompatible with European values, and if Europe wants to play a role on the international stage, it has to combat all these forms of violations, said Ms. Karamanou, welcoming the opportunity offered by 8 March.