We have to stand up against coercive sterilization
The European Parliament held a meeting yesterday in honour of the
International Women's Day, dedicating the event to the fight against the
violence against women. In the session organized by the Committee on Gender
Equality, MEP Lívia Járóka (European People's Party / Fidesz) spoke against
the coercive sterilization of Roma women.
MEP Lívia Járóka called it alarming that there were no proper official
data about the practice of forced sterilization, which several Roma women
had been subject to throughout the EU. Although concerned Member States
claim that coercive sterilization of Romani women has not occurred since
2004, when the issue was first officially recognized, several experts on
human rights allege that this practice is continuing to date.
Járóka emphasized that even though several judicial verdicts had been
reached in favour of the victims, adequate compensations and official
apologies in most cases were still pending. She stated that the one of the
primary prerequisites for stepping up against such grievous forms of
violence against women was to have proper statistical data. Járóka assured
her audience that as Vice Chairwomen of the Committee on Women’s Rights
and Gender Equality, she would ensure that this issue would be at the top
of the committee’s and the European Parliament’s agenda.
Press Release of MEP Lívia Járóka
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