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- Ελληνικά
The work of the Parliamentary Forum, which is part of the global conference "Women Deliver 2023", started today in Kigali, Rwanda.
In her intervention on the role of parliamentary leadership in promoting women's health and rights, Ms. Attalidou noted that promoting women's empowerment, gender mainstreaming in legislation and gender-balanced representation in decision-making structures and leadership are among her top priorities. Demetriou, as the first Speaker of the House of Representatives.
More specifically, regarding Cyprus, Attalidou pointed out that gender inequalities are more pronounced in leadership positions and that Cyprus is ranked 22nd in the European Union in the Gender Equality Index. Attalidou stressed that currently Cyprus is far from achieving the goal of bridging the gender gap and increasing the representation of women in decision-making structures.
Ms. Attalidou said that in recent years progressive legislation on abortion has been introduced, which strengthens women's reproductive rights and their access to abortion, in order to combat sexism and online sexism, on protection from harassment and stalking, on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, which brings Cyprus into line with the provisions of the Istanbul Convention, and on holistic sex education. He noted that, following a law proposed by the Speaker of Parliament, femicide had been introduced as an offence, which carries a life sentence. She also noted that the operation of the "Women's House" in December 2020, the establishment of special units in the Police to handle cases of domestic violence, the revision of the Police protocols for handling cases of sexual violence and rape and the establishment of the National Coordinating Body for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women, are important steps forward.
Attalidou underlined the key role played by the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women through the exercise of parliamentary control over legislation on women's rights and health. In the context of the Committee's work, the need to set timetables and budgets for the implementation of strategies to prevent and combat violence, adopt victim-friendly approaches to facilitate reporting and speed up the adjudication of domestic violence cases was highlighted. Attalidou stressed that despite the significant progress achieved so far, Cyprus has a long way to go in addressing the root causes of gender-based violence and effectively protecting victims through the provision of an adequate safety net.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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