ASSEMBLEIA DA REPÚBLICA

GABINETE de APOIO
ao Deputado MENDES BOTA
Eleito em representação da Região do Algarve
Palácio de S. Bento 1249-068 Lisboa
Telef: 213 919 277 Mail: mendesbota@psd.parlamento.pt
Sítio electrónico: www.mendesbota.com

COMUNICADO Nº 19/XI

MENDES BOTA DISCURSOU PERANTE OS MINISTROS DA IGUALDADE

DO CONSELHO DA EUROPA

O deputado Mendes Bota, discursou na sessão de abertura da 7ª Conferência dos

Ministros da Igualdade de Género do Conselho da Europa, que está a decorrer hoje e
amanhã em Baku (Azerbeijão), e onde participam os principais responsáveis
governamentais dos 47 Estados membros desta organização internacional, bem como a
Secretária Geral Adjunta Organização das Nações Unidas, Asha-Rose Migiro.

Esta importante Conferência, subordinada ao tema “Igualdade de Género: estreitando o

fosso entre a igualdade de género de jure, e a igualdade de género de facto”, aprovará
uma Resolução e um Plano de Acção para os próximos quatro anos. Este Plano, que tem
como título “Aceitar o desafio de chegar à igualdade de género de jure e de facto”,
delineia orientações nos seguintes sentidos:

- integração de género e acções positivas

- mecanismos e standards da igualdade de género
- participação igual das mulheres e dos homens nos processos de decisão em
todas as esferas da sociedade
- o papel dos homens no atingir da igualdade de facto
- combate aos estereótipos de género nos media e na educação
- prevenção e combate à violência contra as mulheres
- combate à discriminação contra grupos vulneráveis de mulheres e raparigas

No seu discurso, Mendes Bota que representou a Assembleia Parlamentar do Conselho

da Europa, na qual preside à Comissão para a Igualdade de Oportunidades entre
Mulheres e Homens, afirmou:

“Nos últimos anos, foram feitos progressos, mas muita coisa está por fazer. É
tempo de estreitarmos o fosso entre a igualdade de jure e de facto. Escrever e
aprovar leis, já não basta. Podemos ter prevenção de jure, mas de facto temos
violência contra as mulheres. Dizemos sim, de jure, ao acesso à justiça, mas de
facto, escasseiam as condenações. Escrevemos, de jure, protecção para as vítimas,
mas de facto as mulheres são agredidas e assassinadas todos os dias. Podemos
pretender, de jure, alterar o sistema eleitoral, mas de facto, são os homens que
dominam os partidos políticos.

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Não há igualdade nesta equação de género. De jure não é igual a de facto. E é

porque acreditamos no de jure, e queremos alterar os factos, que estamos todos
aqui. Os parlamentares têm que ser tidos em conta para a implementação das leis,
e responsáveis pela monitorização da aplicação das mesmas.”

Segue, em anexo, a versão integral (em inglês) do discurso do deputado Mendes Bota.

Assembleia da República, 24 de Maio de 2010

GABINETE DE APOIO
Telefone: 213 919 277

7th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers

responsible for Equality between Women and Men
Baku, 24-25 May 2010

Statement of José Mendes Bota

Chairperson of the PACE Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and
Men

Dear Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Secretaries General, Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my honour to address you on behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly of the

Council of Europe. It is a great pleasure to be in Azerbaijan, heading a delegation of
six PACE parliamentarians

The Parliamentary Assembly is engaged to promote equal opportunities, combating all

forms of discrimination and violence against women and promote gender equality in
all sectors.

Through its resolutions and recommendations, the Assembly intends to influence the
decision making in Council of Europe member states and combat all forms of
discrimination and violence against women.

Recently, the Assembly adopted positions on “The wage gap between women and
men”, “Women and the economic and financial crisis”, “Associating women in the

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prevention and the solution of unsolved conflicts in Europe” or “Increasing women’s

representation in politics through the electoral system”.

The Assembly will debate a report on “Combating sexist stereotypes in the media” at
its next part-Session in June in Strasbourg. A large number of these topics will be
addressed during this Ministerial Conference and I look forward to sharing our views.

A network of contact parliamentarians has been set up by the Assembly to raise the
awareness and expertise of parliamentarians to combat violence against women and
ensure that the work of the Council of Europe has en echo and an impact in the
national parliament;

A Gender Equality Prize was set up in 2009 by the Assembly to encourage political
parties, which play a key role in facilitating women's access in elected positions.

We have proposed to the Committee of Ministers, the drafting of an additional

protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights that could secure the
fundamental right to equality between women and men in the European Convention
on Human Rights, we are preparing a report on “Fighting the global backlash against
women’s human rights”, and we claim for a greater involvement of men on these
issues.

National parliaments are key players to promote gender equalities - and synergies
with governments are needed

Over these past years, progress was made, but much remains to be done. It is time
indeed to bridge the gap between de jure and de facto equality. Drafting and adopting
laws is not enough.

We may have de jure prevention, but we have de facto violence against women. We
say yes, de jure, for access to justice, but de facto there is a lack of condemnations. We
write, de jure, protection to victims, but de facto women are aggressed and killed
everyday. We may pretend, de jure, change the electoral system, but de facto, are men
who dominate the political parties.

Ladies and gentlemen,

There is no equality on the equation of gender. De jure is not equal to de facto. And it
is because we believe in jure, but want to change the facts, that we all are here.

Parliamentarians should also be accountable for the implementation of the laws and
responsible for controlling the effective implementation of the laws.

As you know, the Parliamentary Assembly strongly committed itself to the Council of
Europe campaign "Stop domestic violence against women" (2006-2008), the principal
outcome of which was the launch of the drafting of the convention.

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The Assembly now intends to remain proactive to secure the adoption of a convention
incorporating demanding standards, ensure that it is ratified by the largest possible
number of Council of Europe member states and have its implementation guaranteed
by a strong, independent monitoring mechanism with the necessary human and
financial resources at its disposal.

The Assembly has tabled concrete proposals to the drafing committee (CAHVIO).
That would most certainly constitute an innovative added value in the future Council
of Europe convention. And I take this opportunity to launch an appeal to all of you to
ensure that your countries will support the drafting a demanding convention that will
focus on the elimination of violence against women.

Finally, I would like to underline that promoting gender issues is a global issue. On the
one hand, the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty of the European Union is a new
challenge for the Council of Europe, including in the field of gender equality - and the
Assembly intends to strengthen its co-operation with the European Parliament to
ensure that new EU instruments and standards will not duplicate nor lessen the
Council of Europe standards.

On the other hand, worldwide, women's rights are a stake. We need to fight the global
backlash against women’s human rights and I am very glad to see that the UN Deputy
General Ms Migiro can contribute to our work. The voice of Europe must be heard to
support a human rights approach of women's rights.

This conference will lead to the adoption of an action plan, that will benefit hundreds
of millions of European women and girls, on the goal to a better and fair society.

And if I finish by thanking the Azerbaijan authorities for their hospitality, I express
my wishes that the realization of this Conference in Baku might be the trigger you
needed for the approval of legislation on violence against women, and the impulse for
a better representation of women in parliament, by the end of this year. Then yes, I
hope to say: mission accomplished! It was good to be in Bakou!