Karamanou (PSE),
draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights,
Justice and Home Affairs. – (EL) Mr President, as draftsman for the
Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs, I should
like to congratulate our rapporteur on her exceptional report and for having
the courage to tell the truth, however painful.
We recently witnessed the collapse of the
Taliban regime, which highlighted the tragic position of women in Afghanistan.
We recently witnessed the trials and tribulations of Safiya Husaini, condemned
to death by stoning by an Islamic court in Nigeria for having a baby out of
wedlock. A similar verdict has been passed in Sudan. All these cases show just
how topical this report is. They also turn the spotlight on the violation of
women's fundamental freedoms and rights by fundamentalist, anti-democratic
regimes centre stage in a most dramatic manner.
What happened in Afghanistan with the rise
of the Taliban is one very typical example. Women were deprived of their most
basic human rights overnight. Like every other anti-democratic regime, the
Taliban based their power on subjugating women and going back to their roots.
Under these regimes, the sexual conduct, way of life and reproductive functions
of women, even the way they dress, are generally controlled by religious
leaders, allegedly abiding by scriptures and cultural traditions, while
inhumane, violent and humiliating punishment, such as whipping and stoning, is
the order of the day. We must not forget that about 5 000 women are murdered
ever year by male members of their families for reasons of honour and that the
perpetrators go unpunished. One hundred and thirty million women
throughout the world have had their genitalia mutilated and that a further
2 million women a year are exposed to such practices.
However, I should like to point out here
that fundamentalism does not thrive just in developing countries; it also
thrives in Europe. I think there is a serious problem in Poland. I have here an
indictment signed by 100 public figures accusing the Catholic church of
unacceptable interference and attempting to control women's reproductive
functions.