National Herald.
| WOMEN WILL CHANGE THE WORLD Argues MEP Anna Karamanou  Interview with Anna KARAMANOU by Christos Mouseliotis Saturday 20- Sunday 21 April 2002 |
Violence against women is not a phenomenon that only appears in third-world countries, the Middle East, or Afghanistan. It pervades the daily life of civilized states and manifests in countless ways. In Greece, a peculiar regime of patriarchal violence prevails, which is shaped not only by domestic violence but also by the dominance of men in decision-making centers.
The existence of this violence is attributed to the overwhelming dominance of men in decision-making and policy-setting spaces, and only the equal participation of women in these areas offers hope for a better world, emphasizes MEP Anna Karamanou of PASOK.
Regarding what Europe can do about this violence, Ms. Karamanou, as the chair of the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee of the European Parliament, notes that the EU has passed a text against fundamentalists of all kinds, “which has shaken things up.” She states that she has received “letters of protest from many parts of the world, where the hardliners not only do not apologize for their crimes, but demand to repeat them in the name of some supposed religion or tradition.”
“In Europe and in Greece, there is a very significant issue of violence against women,” she emphasizes, “and it is to the credit of the Spanish presidency that it brought this to the forefront. A major meeting was held on this topic, and the Spanish presidency highlighted three forms of violence: domestic violence, sexual violence, and violence in the workplace—and a process is already beginning to find solutions,” she states.
Regarding how this will be done, Ms. Karamanou clarifies that it will start “with the drafting of a directive, and a directive means community legislation, aimed at improving existing legislation concerning gender equality.”
“I note,” emphasizes Ms. Karamanou, “that the EU has a serious policy for gender equality, and recently this policy will be integrated into all legislative acts.”
“Unfortunately,” she continues, “in countries like Greece, the issue of equality progresses at a very slow pace, which is evident from the very low participation of women in democratic institutions and decision-making centers.”
“We ask her to be specific, and the numbers she provides are telling. ‘Greece,’ she says, ‘is not only the last country in the EU regarding women’s participation in democratic institutions and their representation. It is also among the worst in the world. It ranks 66th in the UN classification.'”
“Look at the government as well. We have the participation of only three women among the 48 members of the cabinet. It’s strange, but something better applies in Afghanistan. There, they have three women in a 30-member council of ministers.”
“In Parliament,” she continues, “we have 26 female deputies out of a total of 300, which means representation of less than 10%.”
“What can we say about the trade union organizations—GSEE, ADEDY, or even SEV?” she asks. “The men sitting around the negotiation tables for the reform of the social security system? Not a single woman is present there.”
“These gentlemen are supposed to defend women’s rights, and I can’t fathom how it’s possible for them to make decisions for half the population without a single female representative in their executive bodies,” she points out.
“There is, therefore, a peculiar harsh Balkan patriarchy. This division is indeed rooted in an underlying violence. We also see violence in politics. There is an inability to resolve differences through peaceful means. Just look at what has been happening in the Middle East for decades.”
“I wonder,” she adds, “what kind of civilization we are talking about when we are unable to resolve our differences through dialogue and mutual concessions.”
Regarding the European Parliament, Ms. Karamanou explains that there are “40 women out of a total of 215, and only PASOK has three women among its nine MEPs. ND has one woman among its nine MEPs, and the other parties have none.”
WOMEN = HUMAN MACHINES
And the documents from Ms. Karamanou continue. “In Greece, just this year we marked 50 years since men decided that we are human beings with minds and rights and granted us the right to vote,” she reminds.
“This happened in 1952. That’s when we were given full political rights. Before this date, according to the male perception, we were thoughtless and uncritical, something like human machines, and they considered that we were not citizens of this country. This means—among other things—a deprivation of political rights. Such a relegation of women to the margins shows that women have a heavy legacy of exclusion,” she concludes.
What is happening elsewhere?
We ask her what is happening elsewhere. “The West is a paradise for women,” he declares. And that’s because for women in the other regions things are tragic.
For example in Saudi Arabia women, on top of everything else they suffer, don’t even have the right to vote.”
“And how is it that the USA, as well as Europe, have such a good relationship with this regime?” we ask the president of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality of the European Parliament.
“It is evident that economic relations affect human rights,” she notes. “The USA and the European Union maintain friendly relations with Saudi Arabia, despite what happens there. Although we have repeatedly voted and insist that in any collaborations the EU should include clauses. That is, there should not be transactions that do not respect human rights. However, there are so many violations that if these clauses were applied, they would greatly limit the EU’s trade relations with the rest of the world.”
HER WORLDVIEW
During the discussion, she “confesses” her worldview. “My belief—and that’s why I fight for women’s rights,” she emphasizes, “is that if the situation were balanced, if the balance of the two genders present in nature were reflected in politics and decision-making centers, then things would be different. For example, 50% women – 50% men. Or at least 40% women and 60% men, but not lower. Then the decisions made would represent the perspectives, ideas, and value systems of both genders. Then we would have a more balanced policy, better decisions, and, most importantly, peace in the world.
I believe that the violence in the world, and everything that this word encompasses, as well as the enormous economic disparities, is due to the governance of people solely by one gender.
Through the applications of this male dominance in politics, male aggression, male logic and male priorities are expressed. It is clear that women do not participate in the decisions, just as they do not participate in any peace negotiations.”
MARXISM HAS FAILED
Aren’t you afraid someone might say that Ms. Karamanu is abolishing all economic theories? We ask her.
“I do not accept that everything on the planet is interpreted based on the economy. Marxism has failed miserably to do this. For example, its applied form did not even grasp the dimension of violence as it permeates deeply the lives of women and the political scene.”
BURNT THE WOMEN ALIVE
“The report ‘Women and Fundamentalism’ is one of the best reports voted by the European Parliament,” she emphasizes.
“I believe it sends a very loud message of support to women all over the world who suffer under fundamentalist regimes, in the name of a supposed tradition and a supposed religion.”
“Despite the undeniable progress made in recent years, there are still areas of the planet where women have absolutely no rights. There are regions in India where women are burned alive after their husband’s death and buried with their husband, even though this practice has officially been abolished. However, there is reliable information that this horrific practice is still being implemented,” she states with evident displeasure on her face.
“Everywhere, across all lengths and widths of the earth, there are violations and abuses of women’s rights. It is estimated that about 130 million women have undergone female genital mutilation, according to ‘custom and tradition,’ mainly in Muslim societies, and through migration flows, I assume that this horrific practice has also arrived in Europe. And I say this based on the recent announcement from the British Medical Association, which stated that approximately 3,000 such procedures are performed each year.”
THE WOMAN IS A USING TOOL
“All of this – argues Ms. Karamanou – shows that women are treated not as human beings, but as tools for use, as reproductive machines, without any rights. The recent EU resolution on women and fundamentalism is a strong card in the hands of women. It does not have legal force,” she clarifies, “but it expresses the opinion of the European Parliament.”
“The European Parliament has prestige, and its texts are taken into account in many areas of the world. This is often evident from the reactions we receive to various resolutions. I remember in the past, when I promoted a resolution against public executions in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries, I received a package with many publications against me from the international press,” she concludes.