Activities of Liliana RODRIGUES related to 2017/2275(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Towards an EU external strategy against early and forced marriages (debate) PT
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION Towards an EU external strategy against early and forced marriages – next steps
Amendments (22)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas forced marriage is a violation of the human rights enshrined in international conventions, and which form part of the core principles embodied in the European Union as an area of security, freedom, and justice; whereas early marriage is also an obstacle to the social and economic development of countries and regions;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas, despite all the recommendations and declarations made by institutions of all kinds, early marriage continues to be a problem which disproportionately affects underage and young girls, with significant consequences for their education, employment opportunities, health and social life; whereas eradicating child marriage would be a strategic way of promoting women’s rights and empowering women;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas studies show a strong correlation between child marriage and premature childbirth; whereas fistulas are a common problem affecting teenage mothers and whereas, according to the Freedom from Fistula Foundation, some two million women in Africa suffer from obstetric fistulas;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Recital B d (new)
Recital B d (new)
Bd. whereas in the majority of communities that practice early and child marriage women are often the victims of the decision-making process, and whereas involving and educating community leaders and women from these communities is fundamental in changing attitudes and behaviour concerning child marriage; whereas, moreover, legislation outlawing early and forced marriage is needed;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Recital B e (new)
Recital B e (new)
Be. whereas large age differences aggravate the imbalance of power between young women and their husbands; whereas marriage before 18 years of age increases the likelihood of domestic violence;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Recital B f (new)
Recital B f (new)
Bf. whereas child marriage is ingrained in some traditions and cultures, but no culture or religion can justify such a practice, particularly when human rights and the rights of children are at stake; whereas in many communities where early marriage is prevalent, men have greater privileges and girls are often regarded as a financial burden and, as a result, generally suffer low self-esteem;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Recital B g (new)
Recital B g (new)
Bg. whereas inter-generational poverty is one of the most frequently cited reasons for forcing girls into child marriage; whereas parents are generally unaware of the risks of early pregnancy owing to a lack of knowledge about sexual and reproductive health;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Recital B h (new)
Recital B h (new)
Bh. whereas governments need to recognise the importance of combating early and child marriage in efforts to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; whereas helping girls avoid child marriage and delay pregnancy and enabling them to attend school would give them the opportunity to improve their future skills and income, thereby helping to eradicate poverty for future generations; whereas promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment would ensure that girls have decision-making power over their family lives, and sexual and reproductive lives; whereas eradicating child and early marriage would reduce infant mortality and alleviate the wide range of health problems associated with pregnancy or early childbirth;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Recital B i (new)
Recital B i (new)
Bi. whereas in respect of child marriage, as in all areas of the fight against violence against women, it is fundamental to mobilise men and boys to challenge gender discrimination and change harmful traditional practices that are deeply ingrained in the culture of a given community;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Recital B j (new)
Recital B j (new)
Bj. whereas early and child marriage remains a taboo subject which needs to be addressed publicly so as to put an end to the daily suffering of the girls and adolescents involved and the continuous violation of their human rights; whereas one way of doing so would be to support and disseminate the work of journalists, artists, photographers and activists addressing the issue of early marriages;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Recital B k (new)
Recital B k (new)
Bk. whereas campaigns to end early marriage of girls and young women will not succeed without acceptance of the sexuality of adolescents and their right to make their own decisions about their bodies, relationships and sexual activity; whereas, for such decisions to be taken with full knowledge of the facts, information on sexuality and contraceptive methods must be made available to both adolescents and their parents;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Points out that community contacts at local level are essential in helping to overcome traditional and discriminatory attitudes regarding education for girls, thereby improving women’s employment prospects for the purposes of ensuring their own livelihoods and those of their families;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Encourages the development of information programmes involving all community leaders, educating them with regard to the harmful effects of traditions such as early marriage, so that they can subsequently play an active role in raising awareness within their communities;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Stresses the urgent need to inform and educate men and boys, winning their support for measures to uphold human rights, including the rights of children and women;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses the need to develop empowerment programmes for girls and young women as a key strategy for the prevention and discouragement of early marriage, improving both their self- esteem and their awareness of their rights, including the legal right to refuse marriage:
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Believes that increasing the number of women in political and economic decision-making positions can help to ensure the necessary legislation and increased support for institutions and civil society organisations working to prevent early and forced marriage;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Stresses the importance of increasing child-sponsoring programmes in developing countries, a strategy that has already proved effective in supporting disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, helping to break the cycle of violence and poverty, and possibly playing an important role in reduction of child marriage; noting that education is one of the most effective ways of combating child marriages and that, according to studies, the longer a girl stays in school, the less likely she is to marry or become mother early on in life;
Amendment 87 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5d. Stresses that, while focusing on the prevention of early marriage, the EU, Member States and third countries should also support young women who are already married, helping them to become aware of their sexual and reproductive rights and their rights to contraception, for example;
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)
Paragraph 5 e (new)
5e. Urges Member States and third countries to prohibit and criminalise early and forced marriage by raising the minimum legal age to 18 years, irrespective of parental approval, requiring the full consent of both spouses and penalising those who coerce another person into marriage;
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 f (new)
Paragraph 5 f (new)
5f. Points to the need to make European funds for external action dependent on effective implementation of measures to eradicate early and forced marriage;
Amendment 92 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls on the Commission to carry out a systematic and rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of its existing programmes and use of available funding for the prevention of early marriage and ensuring that the programmes are implemented in regions and countries where child marriages are most prevalent;