+ INFO - Mendes Bota

ASSEMBLEIA DA REPÚBLICA
JOSÉ MENDES BOTA
Deputado à Assembleia da República em representação da Região do Algarve
Palácio de S. Bento 1249-068 Lisboa
Telef: 213 917 282 Mail: [email protected]
RELATÓRIO Nº 80
Lisboa, 26/09/2013
ÂMBITO: ASSEMBLEIA PARLAMENTAR DO CONSELHO DA EUROPA
(APCE)
LOCAL: MADRID
PARTIDA: 15 de Setembro de 2013
REGRESSO: 18 de Setembro de 2013
OBJECTIVO: Participação numa reunião da Comissão da Igualdade e NãoDiscriminação (APCE)
(COM GALERIA DE FOTOS)
No dia 16 de Setembro de 2013, participei numa reunião conjunta da Comissão da
Igualdade e Não Discriminação e da Rede Parlamentar “Mulheres Livres de Violência”.
Presidi aos trabalhos da audição subordinada ao tema “The economic dimensions of
violence against women”, tendo feito as intervenções inerentes à função.
Foram oradores convidados:
Blanca Hernandéz – Comissária para a Violência de Género, do Governo
espanhol;
Javier Truchero, advogado;
Melissa Morbeck, Director Executivo da Corporate Alliance Against Domestic
Violence.
Durante o debate fiz uma intervenção colocando as seguintes questões:
- Qual o impacto da crise económica na violência contra as mulheres? Estão os
orçamentos públicos a baixar nas medidas de combate a este tipo de violência?
- O número de casos de violência de género está a subir?
- Há conhecimento de casos de violência económica sobre as mulheres levados a
tribunal? É fácil à vítimas fazer prova de sofrerem de violência económica?
Seguidamente, fiz uma intervenção de apresentação de uma versão preliminar do
relatório que estou a elaborar subordinado ao tema “Prostitution and Human Trafficking
in Europe”. No Anexo A, constam as notas sumarizadas que serviram de base a esta
apresentação.
No contexto desta temática, o Ministro dos Assuntos Internos de Espanha, Jorge
Fernández Diaz, fez uma intervenção.
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No final fiz uma nova intervenção, em resposta às questões suscitadas por vários
colegas durante o debate.
Também, nesta reunião, fiz uma intervenção dando conta detalhada do estado da arte
do relatório que estou a elaborar sobre “Violence against women in Europe”, e do
resultado das missões de apuramento de factos que já realizei à Suécia e à Alemanha.
As notas resumidas desta intervenção estão transcritas no Anexo B do presente
relatório.
Finalmente, na minha qualidade de Relator Geral sobre a Violência Contra as Mulheres,
reuni com o Secretário de Estado da Igualdade do Governo de Espanha, Juan Manuel
Moreno, perspectivando o calendário da ratificação da Convenção de Istambul, que se
prevê venha a ser aprovada no parlamento a breve trecho. Fiz-me acompanhar da
presidente da Comissão Parlamentar da Igualdade de Espanha, Carmen Quintanilla.
Foi-me feita uma descrição detalhada do plano de acção de combate à violência de
género que está presentemente sendo levado a efeito no País vizinho.
Assembleia da República, 26 de Setembro de 2013
José Mendes Bota
ANEXO A
Mr. Mendes Bota’s bullet points on the presentation of his preliminary draft
report on “Prostitution and human trafficking in Europe”
Meeting of the Committee on Equality and Nom-Discrimination of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Madrid, 16th and 17th of September 2013
STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT
1- REPORT – Origin, scope and aim
2- TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS IN EUROPE
3- TWO OPPOSITE APPROACHES TO PROSTITUTION
Legalization and Decriminalization
Criminalization
4- LEGALIZATION – IMPACT ON TRAFFICKING – CASE STUDIES
Germany
Policy on prostitution
Impact on trafficking
Overall situation
Netherlands
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Switzerland
5- CRIMINALIZATION – THE CASE OF SWEDEN
Policy on prostitution
Impact on trafficking
Other consequences
6- LEGALIZATION vs. CRIMINALIZATION – ACADEMIC RESEARCH
7- CURRENT TRENDS IN OTHER MEMBER ESTATES
Norway
Iceland
Denmark
France
UK – England Wales and Scotland
Ireland
8- PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS
LAST PAGE – LAST SENTENCE – “The policy on prostitution should be the main
foundation, albeit not the only one, on which an effective anti-trafficking policy is
based”.
FORMS OF TRAFFICKING
Forced labor
Criminality
Begging
Organ removal
Sexual exploitation and forced prostitution
SOME FIGURES FROM UN
In the world (2005) – turn over of trafficking - 32 billion US$
Of which 28 billion on sex exploitation
1.390.000 victims per year
2/3 are women
Of which 2/3 are sexually exploited
In Europe (2005) – turn over of trafficking – 2,5 billion US$
70.000 – 140.000 victims per year
Of which 84% are for sex exploitation
FACTS
Modern form of SLAVERY
Severe violation of HUMAN RIGHTS
Affects WOMEN disproportionally
Is a form of VIOLENCE against women
Affects ALL European countries – origin, transit, destination
Victims RELUCTANT to seek for help – FEAR
Violence
Deportation
Family retaliated
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INSTRUMENTS
CoE CONVENTION on Action Against Trafficking in Human Rights
2008 – entered into force
40 ratifications
EU – DIRECTIVE 36/2011
Only 6 Estates transposed to domestic law
EU REPORT 2013 – about 2008-2010
On 28 Members + 6
+ 18% cases
- 13% convictions
TWO OPPOSITE APPROACHES TO PROSTITUTION
1- LEGALIZATION – Regulation of prostitution by the State – Legal under
certain conditions – Sex work – Sex workers – Clients – Managers –
Professional activity – If not forced – Health, safety and labor protection
Austria, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey
DECRIMINALIZATION – No rules, general legislation
New South Wales and New Zealand
2- CRIMINALIZATION
PROHIBITIONIST SYSTEM – Ban prostitution – Penalizing all aspects
Albania, Croatia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine
ABOLITIONIST SYSTEM – Sale of sex is not punishable, but soliciting,
procuring, advertising are criminal offences.
Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Portugal, UK
LEGALISATION – IMPACT ON TRAFFICKING
CASE STUDY 1 – GERMANY
POLICY – PROSTITUTION ACT 2012
No longer an immoral activity
Remunerated, taxed, health and safety regulations, protection of
employee’s rights
Laender – to regulate
Local authorities – right to establish “exclusion zones”, where sex work
is forbidden
Not clear – Legislation was not amended – There are no uniform
guidelines whether brothels can be registered as a business under which
category
Vary from laender to laender
IMPACT ON TRAFFICKING
Majority of interlocutors – legal framework should be amended
Prostitution Act failed tackling criminality
But BKA – Federal Criminal Police claims damage – 636 cases
2011 – 1/3 less than 10 years ago
Press say – Lower figures means fewer investigations
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Der Spiegel – Law enforcement officers almost have no access to
brothels
85% victims come from EU member Estates – Romania and Bulgaria
OVERALL SITUATION
Prostitution business has grown significantly
Germany became a sex tourism destination
Deterioration of sex workers condition
Human dignity at stake
Daily wages regardless number of costumers
Flat rate – €70-€100 – eat as much as you can
Prostitutes tripled
No permanent residence – travel from place to place – appear new
Live in the room
Don’t have a home
Voluntary prostitution – Only sex-workers organisation’s claim the
FREE CHOICE MYTH
80% might not be forced to enter prostitution, but put under strong
pressure by the families – alternatives
CASE STUDY 2 – NETHERLANDS
2000 – Law – Bring prostitution out of the underground – “Regulated
tolerance”
Failed
Situation of prostitutes worsened
Organized crime kept control
2003 Amsterdam Mayor – “Failed Policy”
2008 Report – KLPD – National Police
50%-90% of licensed women work involuntarily
2006 – Amsterdam Mayor – not renewed prostitution firms in red light
district
Rotterdam also closed
Hague also closed
Only sex workers support legalization approach
CASE STUDY 3 – SWITZERLAND
Prostitution legal – Economic activity taxed – Social security
contributions
Different regulations cantonal/municipal
To reduce negative effects of the sex trade in the area of practice
To improve working conditions of sex workers
National statistics not available as different cantonal regulations make
impossible collect comparable data
Swiss Coordination Unit Against Trafficking of Persons and Smuggling
of Migrants – “Underlines that prostitution is not necessarily linked to
human trafficking” – STRANGE!!!
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CRIMINALIZATION: THE CASE OF SWEDEN
POLICY ON PROSTITUTION
1999 – Sex Purchasing Act – Prohibiting the purchase of sex services,
but not the sale
Norway (2008) followed
Iceland (2009) followed
Curbing the demand – as a way of eradicating prostitution
Focus on the root cause
No women would sell sex voluntarily
Threat to women’s dignity – Men can buy women’s bodies
70% of Swedish – in favor – all political forces and youth
Sanctions – Fines and imprisonment up to 1 year
Nobody sent to jail – Suspended prison sentences – Fines most common
Strong message – prostitution is unacceptable
Strong social stigma
Letter of notification
“Flagrante delicto” – fine, guilty rather then going to court
IMPACT ON TRAFFICKING
Report 2010
200-400 women trafficked in Sweden (2209)
15.000-17.000 women trafficked in Finland, with much less
population
INTERPOL – intercepted conversations between pimps and traffickers
that show Sweden is more risky and less profitable for them
Testemoigns from victims confirm this
OTHER CONSEQUENCES
1998-2008 – 50% less prostitutes in the streets
1998 – 2.500
2003 – 1.500
Men declaring having paid for sex
1996 – 13,8%
2008 – 8%
2013 – 4%
Critics
Sex continues on Internet
Difficult access on impact
Gone underground – more dangerous
Increased trafficking on neighbors
ACADEMIC RESEARCH ON “LEGALIZATION vs. CRIMINALIZATION”
Researchers
London School of Economics and Political Science
University of Heidelberg
German Institute for Economic Research of Berlin
Legalize prostitution has 2 effects
Scale effect
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Prostitution expands
Market is increased
Human Trafficking increases
Substitution effect
Legal offer of sex workers increases
Demand for trafficked persons reduces
Conclusion
Scale effect prevails – Legalizing prostitution seems to lead to increase
human trafficking
Victims of trafficking increase after legalizing in Germany
2006 – Germany – 150.000 prostitutes – 62 times more than
Sweden, which population is 10 times smaller
2004 – Germany – 32.000 victims of trafficking, 60 times more
than Sweden
TRENDS IN EUROPE
Norway (2008)
Iceland (2009)
Denmark – under pressure
France – December 2011 – Approved nom-binding resolution suggesting make
buying sex a criminal offence – BUT, on March 2013 abolished the crime of
soliciting by prostitutes
England and Wales – All-party Parliamentary Group on prostitution called on
government to criminalize buying sex
Scotland – 2012 – Proposal for a Bill by Rhoda Grant in the Scottish Parliament
Ireland – 2013 – Report of the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality
recommended penalizing purchase of sexual services
WHAT I HAVE DONE SO FAR
2 Fact Finding Missions
Meetings with 35 persons
19 authorities and NGO’s representatives
16 Members of Parliament
ANEXO B
Mr. Mendes Bota’s bullet points on the presentation of his preliminary draft
report on “Violence against women in Europe”
Meeting of the Committee on Equality and Nom-Discrimination of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Madrid, 16th of September 2013
AIM OF THIS REPORT
Take stock of my activity as General Rapporteur and Network Coordinator
Political document
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VAW – MISUNDERSTANDINGS
WHO defines VAW as a “Global health problem of epidemic proportions”
Affects 35% of women worldwide
Affects 30% in a relashionship
38% of murders by intimate partners
Not only a health problem
A Human Rights violation
A gender-based violence and discrimination
Link Gender – Violence is misunderstood
78% would call police for dog mistreat and only 53% for women mistreat
PREVALENCE IN EUROPE
WHO Study – first global report on VAW
Europe – 27,2% of women victims in lifetime
5 cases of VAW – 1 case of nom-intimate partner violence
Some western countries are in the group of “High Income”
Weaknesses
No harmonized methodology
Do not cover all forms of VAW
FRA – Survey on VAW
40.000 women inquired
28 EU Member Estates
Collection of reliable and comparable data – Artº 11º of Istanbul Convention
CoE should ask FRA to enlarge Survey to all CoE member Estates not covered
2013 – TURNING POINT
Milestone – CSW 57 – New York
Final conclusions – remarkable progress
Emphasis Prevention/Education
Responsibility Men/Boys
Recognise women’s sexual and reproductive rights
End impunity
Religion/Culture/Tradition no excuse any more
Missing conclusions
Sexual orientation and gender equality
Intimate partner relations outside marriage
Initiative “Commit to End VAW” – UN SG Ban-ki-Moon
25 CoE Members adhered
Major Newspapers and TV channels report on VAW
VICTIMS HOSTAGE OF ECONOMIC CRISIS
UK – 13% drop on referrals
20% cut on police budget
Reduce capacity of criminal investigations
Remain priority – VAW-HRs
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NETEWORK “WOMEN FREE FROM VIOLENCE”
Tools
Conferences – Auditions
Expansion
42 members
Network Friends
Deepening
Conferences 25/11
HR’s Film Festivals
Media Campaign – 16 days of activism
Events and activities
Press countries that have not ratified Convention yet
Monitor Convention
Informal Groups
2013 – ENTRY INTO FORCE
31 signatures
5 ratifications complete
2 ratifications not deposited yet
4 on pipeline in Parliaments – France – Spain – Serbia – Andorra
Strategic mistake – achieve 100% in line before ratification – The later more
killings and suffering
Reservations
11th May – formal ceremony of entry into force
SPECIAL FOCUS ON MONITORING IMPLEMENTATION OF CONVENTION
Innovative – Participation of parliamentarians
Participating on report’s discussions
PACE take regular stock
Network include monitoring in activities
General Rapporteur
Continue
Periodic report
Observer in GREVIO
PACE attend Committee of the Parties
CoE ACTION – UPGRADE POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT
Priority
Legal expertise
Training
Knowledge case law in ECHR
Co-operation
Promote, signature, ractification, accession
Monitoring
Partnership – UN Women, FRA, EIGE
Involve Network
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GALERIA DE FOTOS
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