Gender equality MEPs speak about visit to Cyprus

Chairwoman of the European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Anna Zaborska expressed on Tuesday her admiration for the effort of the Cypriots to overcome the wounds of the war, forget the past and improve their future.
In a press conference given by the delegation of the Committee currently visiting the island, Zaborska said Cyprus‘ integration to the EU27 is even more difficult than for other member states, as it is a divided state which had the recent experience of war.
The MEP said that this morning she told Nicosia Mayor Eleni Mavrou that she admires her courage for becoming Mayor of a divided town, adding that ”what I see and admire is the fact that the Cypriots are trying to heal the wounds of war, as well as the enthusiasm with which they are trying to forget the past and improve their future.”
Edit Bauer, rapporteur of the Committee on the trafficking of persons, said that although the percentage of trafficking of persons in Cyprus is high, the penalties are milder than those in Europe, adding that in many EU countries the penalties may reach 20 years in prison, while in Cyprus they are restricted to fines.
She added that the delegation requested that the House of Representatives look into the possibility of increasing and adopting deterring penalties, and covering gaps in the legislation, which permit the unequal treatment of women before and after divorce.
Bauer said a few hundred of thousands of women are burdened with debts after a divorce.
Teresa Riera Madurell, who is the rapporteur on violence against women, said the evaluation of the implementation of relative legislation in Cyprus would be useful, as it was passed a while ago.
Madurell pointed out the need to increase the participation of Cypriot women in decision making centres. ”We agreed that we must try to increase the participation of women,” she said, adding that this was not only a matter of justice but of democracy, and that in the EU, which is founded on democratic principles, half the population cannot be left out of decision making.
Emine Bozkurt said that in Cyprus there is a large amount of legislation but also gaps in its implementation. She added that the Committee gladly heard that an action plan for equality is in the pipeline, and that a women’s centre would be established in Nicosia.
She noted that the participation of women in education contributes to promoting equality and referred to the positive role of student exchanges through ”Erasmus”. The MEP added that she was in favour of the participation of Turkish Cypriots in this programme.
Bozkurt, who is the rapporteur for the role of women in Turkey‘s social, economic and political life, said figures on violence against women are always deficient.
She said that last year the European Commission launched a programme for the collection of more comprehensive statistical data, which would be useful to the Institute for Gender Equality, which is about to be created.
Bozkurt noted that Turkey set up a helpline for the victims of trafficking.