News item from Europistan....
Is this abomination about patriarchy, feminism, or matriarchy?
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/...n56Rz5j1eNr8ls2ySn9WIjN_7CKTI2iwJQXpoUJ6aMAKg
It looks like it's about pornography. And it's not entirely accurate of a headline.
"This kind of proposal, if voted for, isn't a binding resolution in favour of everything it pertains to. It's simply the European Parliament signalling that it agrees with the actions proposed by the lead author, or "
rapporteur", of the report -- in this case, Dutch MEP Kartika Liotard. The European Parliament (unlike most national parliaments within Europe) can't actually draft legislation by itself. That's reserved for the executive branch, the European Commission. These kinds of endorsements, once passed, are effectively taken by the European Commission as an indication of the opinion of the Parliament, and it then drafts bills accordingly.
If the Commission wants to introduce measures such as those found in the resolution, it'll have a mandate for them, providing the endorsement of the report (specifically an "
own initiative report") passes. Then the draft bill goes back to the Parliament to vote on, and if it passes then, it becomes a legally binding directive for EU member states to follow.
However, we've actually been here before with this proposal -- in fact, that's why the report was commissioned in the first place. In 1995 the Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing, aimed at "removing all obstacles to women's active participation in all spheres of public and private life through a full and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making". As a result, in 1997 the Parliament passed the "
Resolution on discrimination against women in advertising" -- which, while far less comprehensive than the latest report, does contain a clause that "calls for statutory measures to prevent any form of pornography in the media and in advertising and for a ban on advertising for pornographic products and sex tourism".
The reason that that's almost exactly the same wording as in the latest report is because that's the point -- it explicitly "calls on the EU and its Member States to take concrete action on its resolution of 16 September 1997" and the proposals it put forward -- it just updates it with extra clauses that take the web into account. Much like 1997, however, no matter the vote, it is entirely up to the European Commission to decide whether to move and introduce legislation based on the report. The worry next week is that new clauses regarding media (and internet) regulation will provide for future justification of censorship."
Here's why porn could be banned in the EU, but probably won't be (Wired UK)
"
14. Points out that a policy to eliminate stereotypes in the media will of necessity involve action in the digital field; considers that this requires the launching of initiatives coordinated at EU level with a view to developing a genuine culture of equality on the internet; calls on the Commission to draw up in partnership with the parties concerned a charter to which all internet operators will be invited to adhere;
15. Calls on the EU and its Member States to conduct training and awareness training actions with media professionals on the harmful effects of gender stereotypes and good practices in this area;
16. Stresses the importance of promoting the representation of the female image in a way that respects womens dignity, and of combating persistent gender stereotypes, in particular the prevalence of degrading images, whilst fully respecting freedom of expression and freedom of the press;
17.
Calls on the EU and its Member States to take concrete action on its resolution of 16 September 1997 on discrimination against women in advertising, which called for a ban on all forms of pornography in the media and on the advertising of sex tourism(10);
18. Calls on the EU to conduct research into the links between child pornography and adult pornography and the impacts on girls, women, boys and men, as well as the relationship between pornography and sexual violence;
19. Calls on the Member States to establish independent regulation bodies with the aim of controlling the media and advertising industry and a mandate to impose effective sanctions on companies and individuals promoting the sexualisation of girls;
20. Calls on the Commission to assist Member States in combating the sexualisation of girls not only by compiling the necessary data, promoting good practices and organising information campaigns, but also by providing financial support for measures taken in the Member States, in particular for womens organisations fighting against sexualisation and violence against women and girls;
21. Calls on the Member States to implement positive action measures to ensure that more women have access to management positions in the media, including top management positions;
22. Calls on the Member States to conduct research and compile comparable data concerning women and the media, including the portrayal of women from specific groups, such as women with disabilities or women belonging to ethnic minorities;"
REPORT on eliminating gender stereotypes in the EU - A7-0401/2012
then again that is another discussion for another thread.
