FREEDOM OF THE PRESS, Women as targets of fanatics.

WOMEN ARE THE TARGET OF FANATICS article by Anna KARAMANOU, MEP of PASOK 08. 03. 2002

Initially, we experienced the drama of Safiya, the Nigerian woman who was sentenced to death by stoning by the Islamic court of Sokoto for the crime of having a child out of wedlock. This was followed by the death sentence of the Sudanese Abok Alfa Akok for adultery.

These two incidents brought to the forefront the issue of the violation of fundamental freedoms and individual rights of millions of women around the world. While the international outcry and the mobilization of civil society and the European Parliament may have saved their lives at the last moment, the issue of violence against women persists and remains the central theme of this year’s International Women’s Day events.

Unfortunately, despite international UN conferences and ambitious action programs, there is a dramatic setback due to the resurgence of Islamic fanaticism and hyper-conservatism. What happened in Afghanistan with the rise of the Taliban to power is a very telling example. Overnight, women were stripped of their most basic human rights, including access to education, work, healthcare, and political participation. Like all authoritarian and undemocratic regimes, the Taliban based their power on the subjugation of women and a “return to roots.” In these regimes, women’s sexual behavior, lifestyle, reproductive functions, and even their clothing are typically controlled by religious leaders, under the pretense of sacred rules and cultural traditions, while the implementation of inhumane, violent, and humiliating punishments, such as whipping and stoning, is routine.

In September 2000, the UN Fund for Population Activities estimated that approximately 5,000 women are killed each year by male family members for “honor” reasons. The perpetrators often go unpunished in countries where such violence is considered an acceptable means of controlling women’s behavior rather than a serious crime.

According to the World Health Organization, 130 million women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation, while two million are exposed to these practices each year. The tragic fact is that at least half of the African countries that uphold this “tradition” have adopted legislation that fully or partially prohibits it, or have committed to do so through the Partnership with the European Union (Cotonou Agreement), yet this is not respected. Clearly, prejudices and social norms hold more power than laws. In Europe, there are valid concerns that these criminal practices have been brought to EU countries along with migration flows. According to data from the British Medical Association, 3,000 clitoridectomies are performed each year in Britain. However, among EU countries, only Britain and Sweden have legislation that punishes this horrific practice.

Undoubtedly, irrationality and intolerance hinder every effort for the emancipation of women. Fanatics have always viewed women’s rights as a threat to the prevailing patriarchal order and a destruction of the family, which they consider solely a women’s issue. Even today, fundamentalists around the world prioritize and politically demand control over women’s reproduction. The criminalization of abortions was one of the contentious issues on the political agenda in the US during the recent presidential elections. Often, those who claim to be “pro-life” are the same people who fervently support the death penalty, militarization, and a harsh pro-war foreign policy.

Certainly, the best defense against the forces of intolerance is the strengthening of the secular nature of the state and the legal democratic order. No political system, religious movement, tradition, or custom can be above the respect for fundamental human rights, democratic freedoms, and the laws of the rule of law. Respect for women’s rights and gender equality is one of the greatest political challenges of our time. Promoting a global campaign to secure these rights would perhaps be the best political response to the nostalgics of the Middle Ages and the best way to celebrate this year’s March 8th.