MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on violence against women in India
15.1.2013 - (2013/2512(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
Charles Tannock, Marina Yannakoudakis on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0028/2013
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on India, in particular of 13 December 2012 and to its annual reports on Human Rights in the World, notably those of 18 April 2012 and 13 December 2012,
- having regard to the EU‑India Thematic Dialogue on Human Rights,
- having regard to the statement on 31 December 2012 by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay,
- having regard to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), and its General Recommendations XXIX;
- having regard to the recommendations to India in February 2007 by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women,
- having regard to Art. 122(5) of its rules of procedure,
A. Whereas on 16 December 2012 a 23-year old Indian woman, known as Damini, was allegedly brutally gang-raped on a bus in Delhi and whereas she and her boyfriend were assaulted by the attackers, leaving them wounded;
B. Whereas the woman's state continued to deteriorate in the following days and whereas she died in a Singapore hospital on 29 December 2012;
C. Whereas five men and a minor were arrested in relation to the case and are currently undergoing a fast-track trial with a separate procedure for the juvenile offender;
D. Whereas this was not an isolated incident, but only one in a series of rape cases that have sparked public concern and debate with protests escalating throughout the country; whereas according to a Thomson Reuters Foundation survey India is the worst among G20 countries and among the five worst countries worldwide to be a woman;
E. Whereas in many parts of India societal norms and values can be biased against women and girls with widespread and well-documented occurrence of female infanticide, kidnapping, abduction, trafficking and murder over dowry disputes;
F. Whereas women and girls affected by caste-based discrimination are particularly vulnerable to various forms of sexual violence, forced prostitution, trafficking and domestic violence;
G. whereas in 2011/ 2012 there were 24, 000 reported rapes in Indian; in New Delhi 600 reported rapes with one conviction;
H. Whereas in October, a 16 year-old Dalit girl committed suicide by self-immolation after being gang-raped in Haryana, a state from which an alarming level of sexual violence has been reported;
I. Whereas India has passed in 2012 legislation on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences;
1. Is deeply shocked and saddened by this case and expresses its sympathy with the relatives;
2. Is equally shocked and concerned by reports of many other cases of sexual violence and other forms of violence against women in India;
3. Notes with hope and anticipation the ground swell of energy expressed by the many protests of both women and men but is concerned by the escalating nature of some of the protests and the responses by the Indian police;
4. Welcomes the Indian Government's announcement it would establish a Commission of Inquiry into public safety of women in Delhi and a judicial panel to review India's legislative framework on violence against women;
5. Invites the Indian Government to consult with civil society and to invite the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women to visit the country to assist in this process;
6. Asks the Government of India to ensure that women's rights are a matter of national priority as women in India suffer a multitude of abuses varying from early forced marriage, intimidation, sexual violence, domestic violence and neglect;
7. Urges the Indian authorities to ensure that police officers are better equipped to deal with attacks on women, in particular those of a violent and sexual nature;
8. Urges the Indian authorities to restructure its judicial system and to allocate more resources if necessary so as to reduce the backlog of cases pending in the system and to speed up the judicial processing of new cases;
9. Urges the Indian authorities to work alongside the medical profession to ensure that rape examinations are carried out in conjunction with sound medical practice and which reflect the latest scientific evidence;
10. Calls on the judicial authorities of India to treat all cases of sexual violence towards all women, including from Dalit, Adivasi and other minority and lower caste groups, equally and to investigate and prosecute them in an equal, fair, transparent and expedient manner and to provide equal compensation to victims;
11. Urges the Indian authorities to use International Women's Day on March 8th as an opportunity to educate and raise awareness to all citizens that rape is unacceptable and will not go unpunished;
12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to India's Prime Minister, India's Minister for Law & Justice, India's Home Minister, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States and the Secretary-General of the UN.