31 Amendments of Iratxe GARCÍA PÉREZ related to 2013/2065(INI)
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the rate of unemployment among people with disabilities remains unacceptably high, and is at least twice as much as among non-disabled people; whereas, furthermore, the rate of employment for people with disabilities is only around 45 %, while high-quality jobs ensure economic independence and foster personal achievement;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas this high rate of unemployment puts people with disabilities – a vulnerable group that is 70% more likely to suffer poverty than the statistical average – at a greater risk of poverty and social exclusion;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas women with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to violence, particularly sexual violence; whereas specific measures must be taken to tackle this inexcusable phenomenon;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N a (new)
Recital N a (new)
Na. whereas there is a strong relationship between mobility, disability and social inclusion, especially with regard to freedom and access to communication (including Braille and sign languages and other alternative forms of communication), freedom of movement in all fields of life and access to services; whereas the full and active participation of disabled people in all facets of society must be fostered, and they should be given greater access to information and communications technology, domestic automation and online communication solutions;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N b (new)
Recital N b (new)
Nb. whereas the majority of caregivers of people with disabilities are women who are forced to work shorter hours and even to leave the labour market to take care of dependent family members;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls for targets to be set for the inclusion of all EU citizens, regardless of any physical impairments; stresses that strategies, policies and legislative initiatives to ensure non-discrimination and equal opportunities must be drawn up in close consultation and active collaboration with women and girls with disabilities, via their representative organisations;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Highlights the fact that, in the light of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, numerous studies have shown that women with disabilities suffer double discrimination on grounds both of their gender and their disability; calls on the Commission and on Member States to make good the current lack of specific provision for women with disabilities in the social protection systems;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Highlights the importance of optimising the use of EU funding instruments, particularly the Structural Funds, to promote accessibility and non- discrimination against persons with disabilities, paying particular attention to women, who often face multiple discrimination, and to increasing the visibility of funding opportunities for measures of this kind in post-2013 programmes;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Maintains that it is necessary to ensure that women and girls with disabilities can live their own lives and participate fully in every sphere of activity on an equal footing with their fellow humans; maintains that the necessary steps have to be taken in order to ensure that women and girls with disabilities genuinely have access to the physical environment, transport, information and communication, including information and communication technologies and systems, and other services and facilities open to, or used by, the public, whether in urban or in rural areas; notes that, in order to make the necessary provision for proper gender mainstreaming in the measures, planning, projects, programmes, and assessments concerning accessibility, women with disabilities should be invited to serve in the appropriate bodies as consultants, advisers, or experts, the object being to ensure that the design of environments, goods, and services allows for the specific needs and requests of women with disabilities as a whole;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Maintains that information about available services for citizens (education, health, justice, transport, dealings with the authorities, etc.) has to be provided in every possible language, form, and format in a simple and secure way; points out that when services of this kind are offered in the form of telephone helplines or tele- assistance, those systems must also be accessible to women who are deaf or blind and deaf;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Insists that inclusion presupposes that stereotypes are countered with positive images and cultural expressions, in particular depictions of disabilities in the public sphere, since it is exactly this area that is trailing behind; maintains that effective campaigns need to be launched and continue to run in order to raise awareness of the rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls with disabilities within society in general and in specific sectors (work, trade unions, business, the courts, health, etc.) with a view to improving the social perception of those rights and freedoms and enabling women and girls with disabilities to exercise them to more useful effect, combating the stereotypes, prejudices, and damaging practices still rooted in society; points out that the media play an important role in disseminating information about women with disabilities and should help bring about a change for the better in the public’s attitude towards them, in keeping with the principles and values set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses that, in order to prevent the seclusion, abandonment, neglect and segregation of girls with disabilities, it is necessary to launch information campaigns for families, providing them with details of community support facilities for their care and future development and confuting sexist and discriminatory stereotypes; notes that, where children with disabilities cannot be cared for by their immediate families, the authorities should seek to ensure that, as an alternative, they can be cared for within their wider family entourage or, where this is not possible, provide them with community care in a family environment; observes that it is necessary to promote the fostering and adoption of children with disabilities by speeding up bureaucratic formalities and providing suitable information and assistance for the adoptive or foster families;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Proposes that, in the sphere of housing, architectural and other measures be taken to hasten a positive shift from ‘design for special needs’ to ‘integral and inclusive design for all citizens’; stresses the need to guarantee women with disabilities joint or individual access to social housing schemes and provide them with grants for the removal of obstacles to their mobility within the home, a facility which should also be extended to those in a rented accommodation;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses that transport must be accessible to all persons with disabilities so as to facilitate their independent mobility; notes that, among public transport users with disabilities, women outnumber men, who make greater use of private means of locomotion, while women, with their domestic and family responsibilities, are required to make more exacting journeys, which means that disability and gender mainstreaming is essential with regard to transport policy formulation, implementation and assessment, so as to ensure equal opportunities and prevent discrimination against women with disabilities; recommends the involvement of women with disabilities who are experts in the field as transport policy consultants;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the Member States to facilitate women with disabilities’ representation in the decision making process, in order to ensure their interests and rights are protected;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Emphasises that women and girls with disabilities must be informed of their rights in order that they may make decisions for themselves, with this information being conveyed in such a way that they can access and understand it, taking into account the different communication methods, media and formats chosen by them and, where applicable, the extent of their mental disability;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines that women with disabilities must be allowed to enjoy their sexuality as freely as people without impairments, and considers that women with disabilities must be able to live and fulfil their wish to have children, as women without disabilities do; stresses that for young girls, teenage girls and women with disabilities to take responsibility for their sexual behaviour, they need access to education on sexuality, given by professionals who are experts in the field, such as local public social services educators, and adapted where necessary to the intellectual ability of the disabled woman or girl concerned: they need to know and understand how the body functions (how pregnancy occurs and how to avoid it), how to say no to sexual practices they do not wish to engage in, how to avoid sexually transmitted diseases, etc.;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Points out that women with disabilities are often victims of violence, sexual assault and all forms of exploitation; notes that almost 80 % of women with disabilities are victims of violence and that the risk of sexual violence is higher for them than for other women; calls on the Member States to introduce developed control mechanisms to provide victims with services, support and legal protection, and to take tough measures against all forms of violence against people, particularly women and children, with disabilities; regrets that EU and national legislation to prevent exploitation, violence and abuse often lacks a focus on disability; recommends that Member States consider developing national strategies on access to justice and protection from abuse for women with disabilities; calls on the European Institute for Gender Equality to carry out studies on the situation of girls and women with disabilities in regard to violence; calls on the Member States to guarantee women with disabilities who fall victim to violence priority access to social housing, grants for adapting the home environment, home support and public services that handle cases of gender violence;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Proposes, therefore, the introduction of trial procedures specifically tailored to meet the needs of women with disabilities, including the provision of NGO assistance; underscores that no barriers may hinder the access of women with disabilities to legal recourse; Emphasises that women with disabilities have to be guaranteed affordable, easy and safe access to justice and that they need to be able, at each stage of the process, to use the verbal communication support systems and technologies they choose, including sign- language interpreters or guides- interpreters for deaf-blind people, in order to ensure they can communicate correctly with police and legal staff; stresses that as many women with disabilities are highly dependent on the person caring for them, who is also in very many cases the person assaulting and abusing them, independent methods of communication need to be provided so that opportunities exist for disabled women who have been assaulted to file a complaint and be transferred immediately to a temporary full-time care centre until the complaint has been resolved through due legal process; proposes the introduction of trial procedures specifically tailored to meet the needs of women with disabilities, including the provision of NGO assistance; underscores that no barriers may hinder the access of women with disabilities to legal recourse; points out in this respect that effective measures need to be taken so women with disabilities can access the support they may need in exercising their legal capacity, support that, when required, will have to be in proportion to their personal needs and abilities, in regard to taking decisions concerning civil and political rights; points out that appropriate effective safeguard measures such as impartial assessments of their genuine needs by recognised independent experts are also needed to prevent third parties or institutions taking advantage of disabled women in the exercise of their legal capacity, and that these measures should be periodically reviewed;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Notes that current education and training systems do not in general manage to prevent a high dropout rate among people with disabilities unless additional government policies are in place offering specific learning support; stresses that this will lead to significant social and employment disadvantages, and resulting poverty, among people with disabilities, especially during the present economic crisis; emphasises the need to invest in and promote effective education (including alternative education) programmes and vocational training programmes that are tailored to the needs, attributes and abilities of people with disabilities, and points out that this calls for a sufficient number of qualified and motivated professionals, and well- designed and suitable syllabuses, to be provided free of charge in all state education and vocational training centres;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Urges the Member States to take adequate measures to prevent women with disabilities from slipping into poverty, and to guarantee that they have access to social and health servicesEmphasises that people with disabilities, and women in particular, are far more likely to slip into poverty (according to the OECD, roughly every fourth person with disabilities lives in poverty); urges the Member States to take adequate measures to prevent women with disabilities from slipping into poverty, and to guarantee that they receive disability allowances and entitlements and have access to social and health services; notes that the danger of poverty and unemployment is particularly serious when it comes to single mothers with disabled children;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Stresses that the economic crisis has caused some EU Member States to cut funding for disabled people and their carers – often women – something that will adversely affect the educational, social and economic needs of women with family responsibilities;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Points out that the lack of affordable, accessible and high quality care and assistance services for people with disabilities in most European Union Member States, and the fact that care work is not equally shared between women and men, have a direct negative impact on women’s ability to participate in all aspects of social, economic, cultural and political life;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Stresses the need to encourage Member States to recognise in their social security systems, and when people retire, the involvement and unpaid work of the carers, generally women, of people with disabilities; stresses that particular attention needs to be paid to these women in order that they may receive a proper salary and retirement pension;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. URegrets the fact that the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 does not include an integrated gender perspective or a separate chapter on gender-specific disability policies, despite the fact that women with disabilities often find they are at a greater disadvantage than men with disabilities and are more often at risk of poverty and social exclusion; urges the Commission, in conducting the mid-term review of its European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 and elaborating the List of Actions 2015- 2020 relating thereto, to develop a more gender- sensitive approach;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Regrets likewise that the Strategy for Equality between women and men 2010- 2015 does not specifically address the issue of disability, and asks that this be taken into account as a specific cross- cutting gender-equality issue in mid-term reviews and future strategies;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to collect detailed and reliable statistics on the true situation facing people with disabilities, to integrate gender, disability and violence, to draw up annual reports with data showing the situation in the different Member States and to collect reliable data on the situation of carers;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Points out that hazardous situations and humanitarian crises adversely affect the safety and security of women and girls with disabilities, reducing considerably their chances of survival: women and girls with disabilities are more vulnerable than other people before, during and after the occurrence of hazardous situations such as armed conflicts, occupation of territory, natural disasters and humanitarian crises; stresses that national and international agencies responsible for public health, disaster preparedness, emergency help and humanitarian aid need to be made aware of the rights and specific needs of women and girls with disabilities and of the need to have the human and material resources available that ensure women and girls with disabilities have universal access and equal opportunities in hazardous and emergency situations, thereby avoiding lack of care and/or unsuitable actions;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Emphasises that the European Union and its Member States must recognise the importance of promoting international cooperation in order to support national efforts to enforce the right of women and girls with disabilities to benefit fully and on equal terms from all its fundamental rights and freedoms; stresses that international cooperation programmes must be inclusive in regard to women and girls with disabilities, for which reason organisations representing them (mixed or specific) need to be directly involved in the design, development, monitoring and evaluation of cooperation policies implemented at local, national, Community and international level, through the sharing and distribution of information, experience, training programmes and best practice;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
24c. Emphasises that the European Union and the Member States need to promote the inclusion of gender and disability as a cross-cutting dimension in their development cooperation policies, programmes and projects, thereby ensuring that specific projects are devised that promote equal opportunities for people, and in particular women and girls, with disabilities; the European Commission, the European Parliament, the United Nations, the specialist agencies and all other international, national and local donor agencies need to make funding for programmes targeting women and girls with disabilities one of their priorities, allocating funds to this in their general programmes and awarding funding to programmes or programme components that target women and girls with disabilities; the European Union must include the rights of women and girls with disabilities in its bilateral cooperation and in long-term third- country cooperation with local authorities, offering direct economic support through its multilateral development cooperation policies by means of financial contributions to international organisations, through co- funding with non-governmental organisations in the EU and elsewhere in the world, and through policies connected with humanitarian aid;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 d (new)
Paragraph 24 d (new)
24d. Stresses the importance of encouraging the active involvement of women with disabilities in Europe, through the organisations representing them (especially the European Disability Forum, the European Women’s Lobby and their respective national member organisations), in the monitoring of international human rights treaties, supplying relevant information in alternative reports which cross-reference the situation of women and girls with disabilities to their fundamental rights and freedoms;