MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AND MONETARY AFFAIRS
Home is where the slum landlord is: with urban property prices on the increase, some citizens are left unable to access housing, therefore unable to fully enjoy the socioeconomic opportunities offered by European cities. What measures can governments take in ensuring all citizens access to affordable housing in urban areas?
Submitted by: Luiza Greundling, Damir Ismailow, Jurgen Pels, Olaf Scheeper, Teun Slokker, Ties de Winter, Carla-Elena Sava (Chairperson, RO)
The European Youth Parliament,
Alarmed by the fact that housing prices increased by 19% across the European Union (EU) in the past decade,
Bearing in mind that the low interest rates set by the European Central Bank (ECB) create additional demand in the property sector,
Acknowledging that 27 Member States have ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights where the right to adequate housing is stipulated,
Nothing with regret that the Member State’s response to the EU’s housing crisis is unsatisfactory,
Further noting with deep concern that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the EU housing systems, affecting:
the homeless population and low-income citizens,
people in insecure employment,
young people,
Gravely concerned by the increasing economic and social segregation between high-income and low-income households across the EU, in the form of:
unequal access to medical services and the labour market,
negative effects on young people’s educational attainment and career prospects,
Fully alarmed that 96.5 million Europeans are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, and are either homeless or overburdened by housing costs,
Deploring that 17% of the EU population live in overcrowded accommodation, hindering the need to self-isolate and protect from COVID-19 and contributing to higher infection and death rates during the pandemic,
Expressing its satisfaction with the implementation of the Urban Agenda for the EU;
Encourages Member States to increase property tax for home owners with multiple properties;
Proposes the Member States to increase the amount of public housing;
Requests the Member States to implement a mortgage interest tax deduction;1A mortgage interest tax deduction is a fiscal device where the interest of a mortgage is deductible from home owners’ other taxes.
Recommends the European Commission to prioritise the need for housing in its homelessness policy, drawing upon the Finnish “Housing first” approach2 The Finnish “Housing First” approach prioritises homeless people’s need for housing before securing employment, budgeting properly, or attending to substance use problems.;
Invites Member States to provide housing for people in overcrowded homes during the COVID-19 pandemic by:
reserving public housing spots,
increasing subsidies for public housing spots reserved for this group;
Encourages European higher education institutions to provide full-time on campus accommodation covered by tuition fees;
Supports public housing agencies initiatives for inclusionary housing, that grant density bonuses and financing incentives to private developers in exchange for including below-market rate units;
Calls upon the EC Directorate-Generals of EAC, EMPL and SANTE to ensure that low-income neighbourhoods include:
school education and vocational training for disadvantaged students;
Calls upon the European Commission to encourage knowledge sharing about the Urban Agenda between urban authorities as well as between different levels of government by:
creating an indicator framework that mirrors the format of the Sustainable Development Goals indicators,
increase data collection on these indicators, also including country economic and social parameters.
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON DEVELOPMENT
Our best shot: with vaccines providing the most promising route out of the pandemic and the threat of new vaccine-resistant variants looming with every new infection, what can the EU do to ensure even access and distribution across the globe?
Submitted by: Izzy van Bemmel, Pien de Boer, Kim de Rjik, Dharmil Salva, Saif Wazir, Lotte Wessels (Chairperson: Lucía Sancho, ES).
The European Youth Parliament,
Acknowledging the fact that more than fifty countries have missed the Global Health Organization’s target for vaccination,
Underlining the fact that 24 countries report not using their vaccines before they expire,
Regretting the current inconsistent distribution of vaccines around the globe,
Noting with concern the high prices of the vaccines and the logistic cost of mass vaccination programs,
Pointing out that healthcare workers need instruction about handling requirements, storage protocols, and guidelines for thawing and timing doses for every different vaccine,
Taking into consideration that vaccination policy is a competence of national authorities,
Aware of the lack of transparency and the increasing corruption regarding vaccines,
Deeply concerned by the widely spread fake news concerning side effects of coronavirus vaccine and the anti-vaccination groups,
Expressing it’s satisfaction that the European Commission has created a(n):
EU Vaccine Strategy ensuring access to vaccines to all Member States,
Vaccine sharing mechanism allowing Member States to share EU purchased doses to third countries,
Initiative called “Team Europe” enabling local manufacturing of the vaccines in Africa;
Invites the Joint Research Center to employ experienced scientists to develop safe and efficient vaccines;
Advises the Global Infrastructure Institute to fund the building of laboratories in low-income countries;
Suggests the European Commission fund vaccine distribution by air transport;
Calls upon the The European Medicines Agency (EMA) to facilitate:
training and education of medical students regarding COVID-19 and vaccines against it,
internships in lower-income countries after the completion of the training;
Expresses its hope for the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations to provide funding for the development of cheaper and more efficient vaccine storage and transportation techniques;
Asks the pharmaceutical companies to distribute pamphlets explaining the storage and use of vaccines within their packages specifying the handling requirements, storage protocols and guidelines for thawing and timing doses;
Further invites the United Nations to advise its members to revise:
their vaccination policies,
the handling of vaccine distribution,
the necessary amount of vaccines,
the transparency concerning purchases and administrations of vaccines;
Asks media platforms to apply stricter fact-checking regulations to confront the increasing misinformation surrounding vaccines;
Urges Member States to include workshops and modules concerning vaccination into educational programmes;
Calls upon the European Commission to promote initiatives such as Team Europe and the EU strategy on vaccination by creating public infographics on their effectiveness;
Further recommends Member States to actively support organisations aiming to reach equal access to vaccination such as COVAX and the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator.
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY COMMITTEE ON WOMEN’S RIGHT AND GENDER EQUALITY
Girls just wanna have fun-damental rights: With one in ten women estimated to have already experienced a form of cyber violence in their lifetime, and the recent leaking of thousands of indecent images of non-consenting women and girls in Ireland, how can the EU ensure that its citizens are safe from cyber sexual harassment given the trend of digitalisation in recent months?
Noting with regret that many victims of cyber violence against women and girls (VAWG) do not consider themselves victims or can be too intimidated to report their abuser,
Concerned that victims of cyber violence are unaware of the legal action they can take against their perpetrators,
Remembering that online anonymity can make it difficult to prosecute abusers,
Observing that the research on cyber violence incidents, victims affected and distribution across the EU is slow, incomplete, and unrepresentative for the current year,
Fully alarmed by the public’s stigma against the victims of “revenge porn” and focus on blame-shifting,
Deeply concerned that cyber VAWG affects girls’ and women’s social and economic wellbeing as they decide not to take full advantage of online opportunities or express their opinion,
Noting the lack of cohesive and uniform legislative approach at European level regarding measures on cyber VAWG,
Alarmed that the distribution of private images without consent is criminalized only in five European countries,
Bearing in mind that victims of cyber violence must rely on general privacy legislation such as GDPR which does not make any reference to the non-consensual distribution of private images,
Taking into account the different legal systems and socio-cultural traditions of Member States,
Noting that internet usage increased with 50% in pandemic times, also increasing the risk of cyber VAWG;
Calls upon the Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG Connect) to collaborate with the Directorate General on Immigration and Home Affairs (DG Home) to spread awareness about cyber VAWG by:
promoting victim helplines through informative advertisements,
making and spreading infographics regarding the consequences of cyber VAWG;
Further invites the DG Connect and DG Home to spread awareness on the potential legal consequences of cyber VAWG by:
informing victims about their legal options and rights,
informing potential perpetrators about the legal consequences of spreading non-consensual pornography;
Encourages websites distributing pornographic images or videos to share relevant information regarding those who share non-consensual pornography with law enforcement;
Urges the Cyberbullying Research Centre to publish monthly reports on the occurrence and effects of cyber VAWG;
Invites the European Journalism Centre to provide journalists with trainings on:
moving the narrative from the victim to the perpetrators,
ending victim blaming in the coverage of cyber VAWG;
Requests the DG Home to prioritize cyber VAWG on the EU agenda;
Encourages Member States to follow the example of Malta, Germany, France, and Ireland in criminalising the non-consensual distribution of explicit images;
Calls upon the European Commission to expand the GDPR to specifically include the distribution of sexually explicit content of non-consenting women and girls.
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY COMMITTEE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
A Prideful European Union: how should LGBTQIA+ rights be protected in Europe, whilst acknowledging and addressing public hostility and reservations of individual Member States?
Submitted by: Jet van Beekhoff, Alexander Bos, Charlotte Mauritz, Roosmarie Toornstra, Erdiz Tuna Ayata, Irena Schwartz, Sky Williams, Lars van der Ent (Chairperson, NL).
The European Youth Parliament,
Alarmed about the rise in anti-LGBTQIA+ violence across the European Union,
Deploring the fact that political groups increasingly fuel anti-LGBTQIA+ violence by using sexual and gender minorities as a scapegoat for domestic problems,
Aware of homophobic and transphobic social media campaigns in Member States which spread misinformation and promote traditional values on behalf of foreign organisations,
Noting with deep concern that little to no progress has been made regarding the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people,
Concerned with the increase in discrimination in the European Union against LGBTQIA+ people in general, and transgender people in particular,
Alarmed that only 10% of LGBTQIA+ people who experience hate-motivated harassment report the incidents to the authorities,
Noting that Member States have disparate views on LGBTQIA+ rights and that laws and policies protecting sexual and gender minorities vary greatly per Member State,
Conscious that no framework exists at EU-level which includes sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as a bias motivation for hate crimes,
Welcoming the first-ever LGBTIQ Strategy (2020-2025) presented by the European Commission;
Invites national public prosecutors offices to take legal action against politicians who promote queerphobic rhetoric;
Calls upon the European Commission to condemn queerphobic statements made by political organisations;
Asks social media platforms to filter comments spreading queerphobia more strictly;
Demands European Commission to debunk misinformation spread about LGBTQIA+ identities and people, as seen with COVID-19;
Requests social media platforms to ban queerphobic accounts and enforce their rules about the elimination of reported comments more strictly;
Urges the European Commission to increase the funding of pro-LGBTQIA+ organisations such as ILGA-Europe;
Recommends Member States to create special departments within law enforcement authorities which specifically address the discrimination and harassment against LGBTQIA+ individuals;
Suggests Member States to oblige law enforcement officers to do an inclusivity training;
Encourages Member States to make education about LGBTQIA+ identities and issues mandatory in school;
Proposes the European Commission to spread an educational campaign on LGBTQIA+ identities and issues, specifically hate crimes, reaching local authorities and all levels of society, paying special attention to elderly people and their social clubs;
Urges EU institutions and local parliaments to address the issues of LGBTQIA+ people more frequently;
Welcomes Member States to adopt legislation protecting LGBTQIA+ people against discrimination and harassment;
MOTION FOR RESOLUTION BY COMMITTEE ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY
From abolitionism to legalisation: The legal landscape of prostitution varies greatly across the EU, with forced prostitution, underage prostitution and unsafe working conditions still occurring across the Union. What stance should Member States adopt in order to safeguard sex workers’ welfare?
Submitted by: Julia la Bastide, Tommy Kramer, Laura Matias de Campos, Douwe Overtoom, Kwint Schut, Evita van Vliet, Emma Watson, Foteini Chatzikyriakou (GR, Chairperson)
The European Youth Parliament,
Bearing in mind that the stigmatisation of prostitution and stereotypes have led to:
The discrimination of sex workers,
The sex industry not being sufficiently controlled, monitored or regulated;
Alarmed by the fact that pimps, brothel owners and clients continuously take advantage of sex workers, abusing them psychologically and physically,
Concerned by the increased likelihood prostitutes have to experience an unwanted pregnancy, contract an STI or various other illnesses due to their unhealthy work environment,
Recognising that the lack of professional health care can lead to sex workers developing mental health issues,
Aware of the number of human beings trafficked in the Member States for sexual exploitation,
Deeply concerned by the number of children being forced to get involved in the prostitution industry,
Emphasising the fact that sex tourism is a multibillion dollar industy, in which minors are involved,
Noting with deep concern the lack of harmonisation in the legislative models addressing prostitution among Member States;
Encourages Member States to raise awareness about prostitution as legitimate employment in order to reduce stereotypes;
Proposes Member States improve the communication between local authorities and red light districts and upgrade the warning systems in order to regulate more efficiently and ensure the safety of the sex workers’ environment;
Calls upon the European Commission to collaborate with the European Sex Workers Alliance to help with the regulation of the sex industry;
Encourages Member States to use the tax income from legalised prostitution to provide contraceptives for sex workers;
Calls upon the EU to fund psychologists’ further education on providing help to sex workers;
Recommends Member States introduce educational programs for law enforcement authorities on human trafficking;
Asks Director-General of the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs (DCYJMA) to ensure youth care and child protection within the EU, mitigating the risk of them being forced into prostitution;
Urges the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) to tackle the sex tourism industry by advertising legal brothels;
Asks Member States to adopt a common model to legalise prostitution.
Girls just wanna have fun-damental rights: Women are chronically underrepresented and under-researched in medicine, which often leads to misdiagnosis and dismissal when they seek medical treatment. Given this gender data gap, how can the EU ensure its female population (51%) receives effective treatment?
Submitted by: Shriya Balaji, Max Bonnet, Leia Gilceava, Kiki Gielen, Lusan Haan, Julian Jongbloed, Femke Kappe, María Cuder (Chairperson, ES).
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION BY THE COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH AND FOOD SAFETY
The European Youth Parliament,
Concerned by by the frequent misdiagnosis when women seek medical treatment in comparison to men,
Noting with regret the lack of research in relation to the women bodies as a consequence of using the male bodies in order for these studies as a way to “simplify them”,
Bearing in mind that women are underrepresented in higher academic roles,
Aware that women are sometimes given the wrong drug dosage as a consequence of setting the male body as a standard,
Fully alarmed by the fact that female health issues are sometimes not given enough importance because of the stigmatisation of women as “complaining”,
Acknowledging the fact that women often receive their medical diagnoses later than men;
Urges the World Health Organisation (WHO) to support additional research opportunities on issues specific to female bodies;
Requests the EU Cohesion Fund not fund organisations which are not inclusive in the research of medications and their side effects;
Invites the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)to keep promoting co-education and a diverse workplace in the medical field to diminish bias in the sector;
Instructs the Member States to include female specific illnesses and influential women in the medical field in school curricula;
Calls upon the Member States to actively promote career opportunities for skilled female medical professional
Directs the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to mandate retrials of medication whose initial trial sample did not contain a balanced sex ratio;
Appeals to the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) to focus on combatting stereotypes as part of interpersonal skills in medical trainin
Asks the Member States to start an organisation for handling anonymous reports on sexism in the medical field;
Petitions the Member States to help make studies and articles on sexism in medicine more relevant and accessible
Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM II)
Girl, online: With one in ten women estimated to have already experienced a form of cyber violence in their lifetime, and the recent leaking of thousands of indecent images of non-consenting women and girls in Ireland, how can the EU ensure that its citizens are safe from cyber sexual harassment given the trend of digitalisation in recent months?
Chairperson: Hannah Rakers (NL)
Introduction
In November 2020 in Ireland, thousands of intimate photos of women were leaked and shared on the internet. All of the 140000 photos were shared without consent, some also taken without the women’s knowledge, and there were even a number of photos depicting underage girls. Following the giant leak, a bill was passed outlawing the so-called ‘revenge porn’, making Ireland the fifth European country, after Germany, the UK, Malta and France, to adopt legislation specifically targeting the non-consensual distribution of private images. Most other countries depend on more general privacy legislation, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
With a more than 50 percent internet use increase due to the Covid pandemic, women have also increasingly been faced with cyber violence. This has multiple consequences, such as women restricting their online access to avoid forms of cyber harassment. This leads to women excluding themselves from the wide array of essential services and online opportunities offered by the pandemic. It may also lead to censorship, as women feel the need to voice their opinions increasingly online, but are often attacked or discriminated against. As online access is progressively important for social and economical wellbeing, and even more so due to the pandemic, these progressions are worrying to say the least. There are many forms ofcyber violence, all of which tend to disproportionately target women and girls. Most prominent is non-consensual pornography, where intimate images and videos are distributed and often taken without the victim’s consent or even knowledge, The most common form of non-consensual pronography is revenge porn, where an ex-partner distributes intimate images or videos, aiming to humiliate the victim as a revenge for ending the relationship. A newer form of cyber violence is Zoombombing: unwanted, disruptive intrusion by trolls of a video-call, sometimes taking the form of unsolicited sexual footage. All of these fall under the umbrella term of cyber harassment, which can be summarised as sexually explicit or threatening messages, unwanted advances through social media or chat rooms, or other forms of communication that make a victim feel violated. When this harrassment is extra severe, it can be classified as cyber stalking, where repeated incidents undermine the victim’s sense of safety, by means of email, text messages or other online platforms.
Key conflicts
Due to big gaps in research, it is unclear how many people are victims of cyber violence. There is a severe lack of representative surveys, both domestically and internationally. In 2014, the European Agency for Human Rights (FRA) did conduct research on violence against women, which included questions on cyber violence. Unfortunately, as it was the first to collect data on cyber VAWG and internet use has changed drastically since, that data is no longer representative.
Experts have warned against the tendency to classify cyber VAWG as a phenomenon that exists separately from offline, ‘real world’ violence. Instead, it should be seen as a continuum of offline violence, as it largely follows the same patterns. In most of the cyberstalking cases, the perpetrator first encountered the victim in a physical situation and revenge porn is a distinctive form of cyber violence almost exclusively committed by ex-partners.
There is a persistence of victim blaming attitudes, failing to accurately address victim’s experiences and concerns. Victims of cyber violence are often treated with ignorance and indifference, leading to many of them not being aware that their experience of cyberstalking and -harassment are punishable crimes. There is a lack ofmeasures targeting cyber VAWG, both nationally and internationally, with big differences between countries in legislation and enforcement. This stems from both a lack of specific legislation and inadequate police response to the issue. With the absence of a uniform approach by the EU, Member States are not incentivised to adopt more effective measures and international enforcement is near impossible.
Key actors
Women with multiple identities (i.e. LBTQI community, ethnic minority, indigenous) are targeted more often than any other social group, facing discrimination and hate speech. The increased role of the online environment could pose an opportunity to connect globally, but also threatens these women’s political voice, as they feel intimidated by online threats.
European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE): a body initiated by the European Union, specifically focussed on gender equality. With their work, they deliver expertise to EU decision making bodies, supporting better-informed policies.
End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW): a UK-based policy and campaigns organisation, aiming to influence decision-making and public attitudes towards violence against women and girls.
Measures in place
In 2016, theGeneral Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was introduced by the EU, providing a more extensive safeguard for the privacy and security of data. It offers protection for the data of all natural persons but has no specific clauses on for instance intimate footage.
As mentioned, there are various countries that have adopted more effective national legislation in regards to cyber VAWG, such as the UK, France, Germany, Malta, and very recently, Ireland. These are for instance the criminalisation of revenge porn, and stricter measures safeguarding intimate data.
Some countries have implemented national projects focussing on cyber VAWG. The Netherlands established the SafetyNed, which helps victims of cyber violence as a continuance of domestic violence, by providing them with tools to have a safer online experience. Similar projects have been launched in other European countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany.
CYBERSAFE is a project funded by the EU which provides online tools addressing cyber VAWG. This is mostly focussed on the younger generation (13 to 16 years old) and aimed at the classroom setting. Their goal is to promote ‘healthy relationships and gender equality online’ by raising awareness and stimulating responsible online behaviour.
Further consideration questions
In what ways has the Covid pandemic possibly influenced cyber violence?
How can the EU take a more uniform approach towards cyber violence?
How can Member States ensure online activities are safe and secure, especially in this time of doing most things remotely?
Links for further research
Cyber violence and hate speech online against women, a publication by the European Parliament done on behalf of the FEMM committee. It’s a large report, but just skimming through it and focussing on e.g. good practices will help in proposing solutions.
Cyber violence against women and girls, a report by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), aiming to identify and analyse existing research and the availablity of data on cyber VAWG.
Introductory Clauses
The European Youth Parliament,
Noting with regret that many victims of cyber VAWG do not consider themselves victims or can be too intimidated to report their abuser,
Remembering that online anonymity can make it difficult to prosecute abusers,
Concerned that victims of cyber violence are unaware of the legal action they can take against their perpetrators,
Alarmed that the distribution of private images without consent is criminalised only in five European countries,
Bearing in mind that victims of cyber violence must rely on general privacy legislation such as GDPR which does not make any reference to the non-consensual distribution of private images,
Noting the lack of cohesive and uniform legislative approach at European level regarding measures on cyber VAWG,
Observing that the research on cyber violence incidents, victims affected and distribution across the EU is slow, incomplete and unrepresentative for the current year,
Fully alarmed by the public’s stigma against the victims of “revenge porn” and focus on blame-shifting,
Deeply concerned that cyber VAWG affects girls’ and women’s social and economic wellbeing as they decide not to take full advantage of online opportunities or express their opinion,
Noting that internet usage increased with 50% in pandemic times, also increasing the risk of cyber VAWG,
Taking into account the different legal systems and socio-cultural traditions of EU Members States;
Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM I)
From abolitionism to legalisation: The legal landscape of prostitution varies greatly across the EU, with forced prostitution, underage prostitution and unsafe working conditions still occurring across the Union. What stance should Member States adopt in order to safeguard sex workers’ welfare?
Chairperson: Foteini Chatzikyriakou (GR)
Introduction and Relevance
Prostitution, the practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for immediate payment, sometimes referred to as “the world’s oldest profession”, arouses strong sentiment. Around the world, attitudes towards it, how and if it should be regulated, vary considerably, and have varied over time.
Sex workers are of all genders, but most of the time female, and are frequently managed by a male procurer, pimp, or the owner of a brothel. Underage and forced prostitution are a huge part of prostitution, and are usually a consequence of human trafficking. During the period 2017-2018, 14 145 victims of trafficking were registered in the 27 Member States, and over half (60 %) of the registered victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation. Children accounted for nearly a quarter (22%) of all registered victims, and 64% of the child victims were trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation, with 78% of them being girls. However, according to the European Commission, the actual number of victims is most likely to be significantly higher than the number registered and reported in these data collections.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), sex workers face an increased burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and blood-borne infections. Globally, female sex workers are estimated to be 30 times more likely to be living with HIV than other women of reproductive age.
Not only the physical, but also the mental health of sex workers is affected by working on the sex industry. Sex workers seeking mental health support feel that quality, specialised, non-judgemental and free mental health support is not, but should be, widely available. Mental health care professionals’ lack of knowledge about sex work and their prejudice against sex workers, combined with their insufficient knowledge and preconceptions about other issues that concern many sex workers, such as gender identity, sexual orientation, race and cultural differences, and substance abuse are the main obstacle faced by sex workers in accessing quality mental health care. This is why many sex workers believe that mental health support staff should have sex work experience or be trained by sex workers in order to be able to help other sex workers.
Key conflicts
The stereotypes around prostitution are created by cultural and media representations of sex workers and red-light districts, socially conservative ideologies, religious organisations, and certain branches of radical feminism. With the stigma around prostitution being continuously reinforced, prostitutes are being discriminated and socially excluded, and as a result, they are not being heard or taken seriously, so the industry and its problems remain mostly unspoken. Moreover, in countries in which prostitution is illegal, prostitutes do not have access to rights that come with legal employment, such as healthcare and retirement.
International and EU regulations do not take a specific position on prostitution, which leaves the decision up to each country, so the legal and social treatment of prostitution differs widely by country in the European Union. However, it is possible to group the different policies into 5 models, depending on the approach of each Member State: abolitionism (outdoor and indoor prostitution are not prohibited. The State decides to tolerate prostitution and not to intervene in it: prostitution by adults is not subject to punishment, but profiting from another person’s prostitution is criminalised), neo-abolitionism (outdoor and indoor prostitution are not prohibited, but the existence of brothels is), decriminalisation (there are no criminal penalties for prostitution), legalisation (prostitution is both legal and regulated) and prohibitionism (outdoor and indoor prostitution are prohibited and parties involved in prostitution can be liable to penalties, including in some cases, the clients).
However, none of these legislative models seem to be completely effective. The prostitutes themselves believe that the best solution is for sex work to be legalised, get acknowledged as a real profession and be treated like one, since they consider, that only then will they ensure a healthy and safe work environment and safeguard their rights.
Sex tourism, refers to the practice of traveling to foreign countries, with the intention of engaging in sexual activity or relationships in exchange for money. Many EU Member States have become popular destinations for sex tourism, including the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria. Sadly, some of the clients travel to these countries to engage in sexual activities specifically with minors. It is a multibillion-dollar industry, organised both within and outside the structured laws and networks, as the World Tourism Organisation of the United Nations(UN) has acknowledged.
Key actors
The World Health Organisation (WHO), is the UN agency that supports countries in their efforts to ensure human rights for sex workers, and to implement a comprehensive package of HIV and other STI services through community-led approaches
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people, and fights against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment of refugees.
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund(UNICEF), works on a global and national level and focuses on supporting children and parents. It works directly with children to build their knowledge on how and where to seek help and protection, and with parents, teachers and adults to help them identify signs of abuse and make sure children receive ongoing care.
The Member States, whose legislative approaches on prostitution directly affect not just the sex industry but also the lives of the sex workers.
Brothels are a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. In countries where owning a brothel is illegal, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub parlours, studios, or by some other description. Sex work in a brothel is considered safer than street prostitution, since they “protect” the prostitutes who work for them by making sure that the customers pay or don’t abuse them. However, they often exert control over the workers through intimidation, fear, physical and sexual abuse, rape, torture, and other abusive methods.
The International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe(ICRSE), is a network of sex worker organisations and their allies that work together to support the development of national and international law, policy and practice, which respects and upholds the human and labour rights of sex workers throughout Europe and Central Asia.
The sex workers, the great majority of whom want a world where sex work is recognised as work, where all sex workers are respected and their rights are upheld and where gender, racial, social and economic equality and freedom of movement are a reality enabling individuals to start, continue or leave sex work safely, and free from violence and coercion. However, sex workers do not act alone, but through unions and organisations such as ICRSE and TAMPEP (European Network for the Promotion of Rights and Health among Migrant Sex Workers).
Measures in place
The Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography is a protocol of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, formally adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2000. Essentially, this protocol formally requires states to prohibit the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography. As of December 2019, 176 states are party to the protocol.
The directive 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and the European Council on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims, has been in force since April 5th 2011.
Noting with deep concern the lack of harmonisation in the legislative models addressing prostitution among Member States3The different legislative approaches of the Member States are: abolitionism, neo-abolitionism, decriminalisation, legalisation and prohibitionism.,
Aware of the number of human beings trafficked in the Member States for sexual exploitation4During the period 2017-2018, 14 145 victims of trafficking were registered in the 27 Member States, and over half (60 %) of the registered victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation(Data collection on trafficking in human beings in the EU).,
Alarmed by the fact that pimps, brothel owners and clients continuously take advantage of sex workers, abusing them psychologically and physically,
Deeply concerned by the number of children being forced to get involved in the prostitution industry5Out of the 14 145 victims of trafficking registered during 2017-2018 in the 27 Member States, 22% of them were children, and 64% of the child victims were trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation.,
Emphasising the fact that sex tourism is a multibillion dollar industy, in which minors are involved6Estimates from ECPAT International show that each year, approximately 250,000 people travel internationally to engage in sex tourism with children and youth and that the industry generates over $20 billion in revenue.,
Bearing in mind that the stigmatisation of prostitution and the stereotypes about it have led to:
The discrimination of sex workers,
The sex industry not being sufficiently controlled, monitored or regulated;
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)
A Prideful European Union: how should LGBTQIA+ rights be protected in Europe, whilst acknowledging and addressing public hostility and reservations of individual Member States?
Chairperson: Lars van der Ent (NL)
Introduction and Relevance
In February 2019, certain municipalities in Poland started declaring ‘LGBT-free zones’ which, by February 2020, comprised “an area greater than the size of Hungary.” The premise of anti-LGBT zones is that they aim to combat propaganda from a so-called ‘LGBT-ideology’ and promote traditional conservative Christian, pro-family values. Polish authorities say that LGBT-ideology corrupts the youth by accepting, amongst others, pornography, abortion and sexual criminality. Furthermore, the so-called ‘LGBT ideology’ is seen as an ideology imposed on Poland by the West to destroy the ‘natural’ family. In December 2020, the Hungarian parliament amended its constitution, which now neglects the existence of transgender and non-binary people in order to uphold ‘Christian values’. In addition, Hungary has banned the distribution of content relating to homosexuality and sex reassignment to people under the age of 18. The steps taken by Poland and Hungary have met backlash from the European Parliament and Commission. In reaction to the Polish ‘LGBT-free zones’, the European Parliament declared the EU an ‘LGBT-freedom zone’. In addition, the European Commission launched legal action against the two Member States, suing them before the European Court of Justice. While the policies in these countries expose LGBTQIA+ people to discrimination and put their lives in danger, the discrimination and assault on these minorities extends to the whole of the EU. For example, in the summer of 2021, Spain faced a surge in anti-LGBTQIA+ hate crimes. The European Commission has noted that LGBTQIA+ people are increasingly attacked by politicians, “fuelling hate and prejudice.” The European queer rights organisation ILGA calls attention to a “‘pan-European phenomenon’ of anti-gay violence.” The rise in intolerance is often ascribed to ultraconservative nationalism promoting ‘traditional values’. In the face of public hostility and domestic abuse, what should the EU do to protect LGBTQIA+ rights?
Key Conflicts
Politicians in the EU increasingly use LGBTQIA+ community as scapegoats to divert attention away from economic problems. One of the causes for this increase is misinformation and hate speech spread on social media. Specific conservative media campaigns by anti-LGBTQIA+ movements promote traditional family values and maintain that the LGBTQIA+ community is corrupting children. The consequence is a surge in homophobia and transphobia. Independent investigations have further found that these media campaigns are financed by foreign influences. What is more, EU Member States differ widely in their views on rights of LGBTQIA+ people. Accordingly, their policies and laws on the protection and promotion of LGBTQIA+ rights vary greatly.
Furthermore, while the promotion of equality is primarily the national responsibility of Member States, the EU provides policy guidance. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published a report in May 2020 which concluded that little to no progress had been made “in the way LGBT people in the EU experience their human and fundamental rights in daily life.” Discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people, in general, increased from 37% to 43% between 2012 and 2019. The proportions increased more dramatically regarding transgender people: from 43% in 2012 to 60% in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation, especially for queer minors who were forced to stay at home with their families during lockdowns.
Moreover, 58% of LGBTQIA+ people have experienced hate-motivated harassment. The danger of harassment prevents people from expressing their identities, which is a fundamental right – freedom of expression – in the EU Charter for Fundamental Rights. What is more worrying, is the fact that only 10% of LGBTQIA+ people who have experienced harassment have reported this to relevant authorities.
Key Actors
The European Commission is the main legislative and executive organ of the EU. Each Member State offers a commissioner to deal with a certain portfolio. The European Commission proposes new legislation and enforces laws co-legislated by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament. However, regarding social policies, it can only coordinate and supplement action taken by Member States, which are responsible for legislation on combatting social exclusion and discrimination.
Anti-LGBTQIA+ movements – sometimes called anti-gender movements – increasingly spread homophobic and transphobic rhetoric and misinformation. Led by religious extremists and ultraconservative organisations, these movements aim to deprive LGBTQIA+ people of their rights and promote conservative ideas of gender roles, sexuality and the family. Politicians frequently adopt these harmful ideas and target LGBTQIA+ people with laws and policies in the name of promoting ‘family values’.
Moreover, local authorities have significant influence on policy implementation. In Poland, for instance, the ‘LGBT-free zones’ were declared by municipalities – while being supported by the rhetoric of the central government. Local authorities often also have the competence to provide laws and policies regarding police forces.
ILGA-Europe is the European division of the international queer rights organisation ILGA. In Europe, the independent non-governmental organisation made up of over 600 queer rights organisations from European countries, including, for instance, the Dutch COC, Slovenian Roza Klub, the Polish Kampania Pzreciw Homofobii and the Hungarian LGBT Alliance. The umbrella organisation aims to promote and protect LGBTQIA+ rights by advocating for human rights and equality, taking legal action in European courts and providing support for its member organisations.
TheEuropean Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is an independent organisation made up of statisticians, legal experts and political scientists concerned with the protection and advancement of human rights in the EU. Some of its key topics are immigration and integration, tackling xenophobia and discrimination and improving access to justice. It collects data and analyses those in order to synthesise trends and patterns relating to, for example, human rights violations in the EU. It also recommends legislation to relevant EU institutions and helps properly implement laws. In 2019, it published a report on the position of LGBTQIA+ in EU Member States which demonstrated that little to no progress had been made.
Steps taken so far
Article 19 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU prohibits any form of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The treaty is legally binding on Member States. Should Member States infringe on the rule, the European Commission has the discretion to initiate legal proceedings against that Member State. In addition, article 21 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights prohibit any forms of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Since the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force in 2009, the European Convention of Fundamental Rights has become equally binding on Member States as the treaties. It is enforced by the European Court of Human Rights.
Member States have different laws and policies in place for the protection and recognition of LGBTQIA+ people. While all Member States have adopted legislation prohibiting discrimination, these vary in content and form. Furthermore, some Member States explicitly prohibit the legal recognition of same-sex couples and same-sex civil unions. So far, only one Member State – Malta – has legally banned conversion therapy. Some Member States still have not adopted laws making hate crimes or speech motivated by homophobia or transphobia illegal. What is more, access for individuals to treatment for transitioning their gender differ greatly per Member States. In fact, most gender or sex reassignment practices infringe on human rights such as human dignity, sometimes even requiring sterilisation prior to surgery. In terms of legal recognition, almost all Member States demand mental health diagnosis of gender dysphoria prior to legal recognition for transgender people1Gender dysphoria is a state of anxiety or sense of unease in a person due to a discrepancy between their assigned gender at birth and their actual gender identity. In many cases, a diagnosis of gender dysphoria is a requirement for legally changing one’s gender. Increasingly, experts agree that medical requirements are outdated for changing one’s gender and declare that legal gender changes should be based on self-identification and self-determination.. Most Member States also do not legally recognise non-binary genders.
In 2019, the European Commission presented its first-everLGBTIQ Strategy (2020-2025) with proposals to protect the rights of queer people in the European Union. It is based on four pillars: fighting discrimination, ensuring safety for LGBTQIA+ people, building queer-inclusive societies and promoting LGBTQIA+ rights across the world. Primarily, the European Commission relies on Member States to develop their own action plans to improve protection for queer people.
In 2000, the Employment Equality Framework Directive entered into force, which forbids discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation and religion or belief in the workplace. It is legally binding in the sense that Member States are obliged to adopt laws, measures and regulations necessary to comply with the provisions in the Directive. This means that the exact content of laws differ per Member State. No directive on EU-level exists prohibiting discrimination in other areas of life such as education and social services. Some Member States, however, do have such policies in place.
In 2019, the European Commission presented its first-everLGBTIQ Strategy (2020-2025) with proposals to protect the rights of queer people in the European Union. It is based on four pillars: fighting discrimination, ensuring safety for LGBTQIA+ people, building queer-inclusive societies and promoting LGBTQIA+ rights across the world. Primarily, the European Commission relies on Member States to develop their own action plans to improve protection for queer people.
Questions to think about
How can the EU address anti-LGBTQIA+ violence, keeping in mind that Member States have different attitudes and disparate views towards sexual and gender minorities?
How can the EU protect LGBTQIA+ by handling the issue of misinformation?
With only 10% of LGBTQIA+ people who experience harassment reporting to the police, how can the EU effectively improve reporting on harassment and violence motivated by homophobia and transphobia?
Alarmed about the rise in anti-LGBTQIA+ violence across the European Union,
Deploring the fact that political groups increasingly fuel anti-LGBTQIA+ violence by using sexual and gender minorities as a scapegoat for domestic problems,
Aware of homophobic and transphobic social media campaigns in Member States which spread misinformation and promote traditional values on behalf of foreign organisations,
Noting with deep concern that little to no progress has been made regarding the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people,
Concerned with the increase in discrimination in the European Union against LGBTQIA+ people in general, and transgender people in particular,
Alarmed that only 10% of LGBTQIA+ people who experience hate-motivated harassment report the incidents to the authorities,
Noting that Member States have disparate views on LGBTQIA+ rights and that laws and policies protecting sexual and gender minorities vary greatly per Member State
Conscious that no framework exists at EU-level which includes sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as a bias motivation for hate crimes,
Welcoming the first-ever LGBTIQ Strategy (2020-2025) presented by the European Commission,
Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI I)
Fast fashion – slow depression: With the fashion industry being responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, what steps should the EU take in order to support the shift towards more sustainable practice as well as make it more affordable and accessible?
Due to the rise of fast fashion, the amount of clothing bought per person in the EU has increased by 40%. The production of clothes in the fast fashion industry utilises the replication of trends and low-quality materials in order to offer inexpensive styles to the public. The increase in demand for these cheaply made, “trendy” pieces has resulted in an industry-wide shift towards an overwhelming amount of consumption.
This has resulted in consumers considering clothing as perishable and to some extent disposable goods, leading to an increase in their disposal. Data shows that in the EU, an estimate of 2.2 million tons of textile waste was generated in 2018. 87% of clothes that are disposed of are incinerated or landfilled. This results in mass emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide and methane, as well as causing water and soil pollution.
Cotton accounts for 43% of all fibres which are used to make clothes in the EU market, as reported by the European Clothing Action Plan (ECAP), and is especially harmful since it requires large amounts of land, water, fertilisers and pesticides. In addition, polyester, a non-biodegradable material composed of fossil fuels, accounts for 16% of fibres used in clothing in the fast fashion industry according to the ECAP. A study has shown that one load of laundry of polyester clothing results in the discharge of 700 000 microplastic fibers. Nearly half a million tonnes of microplastics are released into the ocean each year. Most of these textile raw materials as well as clothing products are imported into the EU. In 2018, the leading importer of clothes in the EU was China, meaning the products had very long delivery routes and vast amounts of packaging waste.
Key conflicts
Consumer preferences shape what and how fast brands produce. In this case, there are several factors which drive them away from sustainable alternatives, for example, convenience and affordability. Low prices allow for almost all consumers to afford fast fashion clothing which fuels the high demand for these products. Sustainable alternatives are often offered at a higher price-point which may not be accessible to lower socioeconomic groups.
Furthermore, there is a lack of awareness and information about sustainable alternatives whereas mainstream fast fashion brands are by no means hard to find. If consumer interest and demand for sustainable fashion would increase, these alternatives would become more popular and affordable overall.
Even though there has been a rise in the popularity of second-hand clothing, fast fashion is generating less durable garments which limits the viability of the second-hand clothing market. As more clothing that is donated and sent to be recycled comes from fast fashion brands, consumers steer away from purchasing these low-quality, used goods.
Greenwashing is when companies appear and advertise to be more sustainable than they actually are. There is no clear, quantifiable definition to terms such as “ethical” and “eco-friendly”, therefore companies have the ability to find loopholes to make false claims about green production or are purposefully vague with facts when advertising their products. Brands such as H&M have introduced ‘Conscious Collections’ through which they utilise materials made from fruit peels and leaves such as Pinatex. Even though they are advertised as ‘eco-friendly’, these materials contain plastic and petroleum-based agents which reverse any possible positive impact on the environment.
The media, in particular social media, is one of the most influential platforms for fast fashion manufacturers and retailers. Fashion and lifestyle-related content has flooded digital platforms, speeding up the rate at which fashion trends come in and out of style. Instead of designers and individual retailers setting new trends on their own through new releases, consumers are now doing this themselves and the retailers must speed up their sales to meet the demand. This new dynamic has a significant effect on how the industry operates and often results in wasted products due to the rapid turnover of collections.
Key actors
EU legislation on textiles and clothes aims to incentivise consumers to make more sustainable decisions. The European Commission legislates on naming fibres used in textiles and labelling to offer consumers protection. It is also engaged in dialogues with non-EU countries on policy and regulatory issues that affect the textiles and clothing industry. Non EU-countries, specifically countries where manufacturing of clothes is based, are particularly significant since this is where most of the environmental impacts are felt. The aforementioned environmental implications such as water and chemical pollution of soil, occur where clothes are made – outside of the EU.
Fashion retailers receive fashion products from manufacturers and sell them according to their own guidelines. They provide information about clothing to consumers such as environmental labelling (offering information on CO2 emissions, chemical and water use), as well as instructions on how to wash and dry clothing.
Member States and policy makers play key roles in advancing the environmental and social practices of the fashion industry. They are becoming more keen on advancing in environmental and social practices in regards to the fashion industry. Policy intervention can accelerate the pace at which the fashion industry is working towards better practices, for example, by applying incentives in favour of sustainability initiatives.
Non-profit organisations and media have a significant role in educating consumers on sustainability in the clothing industry. For example initiatives such the S4 Fashion: Sustainability for Fashion Industry initiative, as well as tools such as the Fashion Transparency Index or Good On you provide consumers with ratings regarding ethics and information on sustainability of products.
Measures in place
In 2017, theEuropean Clothing Action Plan (ECAP) was launched to improve the textile sustainability across their life-cycle from design to the end of use.
The European Commission funded the programme and has worked with several other agencies such as fashion non-profit MADE-BY, to strengthen this initiative around Europe.
The EU also sets European standards for textile and clothing and implements measures such as the EU ecolabel. However, as of now this certification programme is voluntary.
The EU’s Waste Framework Directive requires Member States to set up separate collections of textiles and hazardous waste by 2025 to tackle the issue of harmful disposal.
The EU Strategy For Sustainable Textiles will aid the EU’s shift to a climate-neutral, circular economy where products are designed to be more durable, reusable, repairable, recyclable and energy-efficient. A long term goal of these strategies is to make sustainable textiles more accessible and encourage their use in clothing production.
The European Parliament has supported, but not fully implemented measures regarding the movement of Slow Fashion. It is typically found in small local stores instead of large enterprises like shopping malls. They release new collections two or three times a year, which means that there are limited styles to choose from. Most importantly, the garments are locally produced by high-quality sustainable materials that last a long time.
Alarmed by the overconsumption of fast fashion items around the world due to the high demand for cheap clothing,
Noting with concern that fast fashion retailers mislead consumers on the environmental impact of their clothing through “Greenwashing”,
Recognising the lack of accessibility to information on sustainable alternatives to fast fashion,
Regretting that the fast fashion industry mainly uses non-biodegradable materials such as polyester which release microplastics into the environment and are major pollutants of oceans,
Acknowledging the role social media plays in promoting the use of sustainable fashion,
Deeply concerned that the EU mainly imports clothing rather than focusing on domestic manufacturing,
Fully supporting initiatives such as the European Clothing Action Plan,