Derechos de las mujeres lituanas en peligro

Ayer me llegó un mail desesperado de una asociación de mujeres lituanas contando que en el parlamento lituano están debatiendo un cambio de ley peligroso. Según esta nueva propuesta ya no se sigue considerando "familias" a aquellas que no son una familia tradicional. Es decir, la madre y el padre casados, y los hijos.
La estadística señala que 1/3 de todas las familias lituanas son monoparentales y que en el 98% de los casos se trata de mujeres. Lituania tiene también un alto porcentaje de familias donde uno de los padres gana dinero fuera del país, parejas que no están casadas o abuelos que cuidan de sus nietos.
Según la propuesta, apoyada por la iglesia católica "para fortalecer la familia", estas familias ya no son familias a los ojos del Estado, negándoles todo tipo de ventajas, ayudas y programas estatales que existen en Lituania para las familias.
La propuesta de ley ya ha sido aprobada en el parlamento lituano, excluyendo del debate anterior a todas las organizaciones de mujeres y de familias. Por consiguiente no ha habido ningún tipo de debate social. El único problema que tienen ahora mismo es que los abogados han dicho que la propuesta, tal como lo han aprobado ahora, es inconstitucional. Pero las asociaciones de mujeres están seguras que lo van a ajustar a la consitutución. También ha habido serias propuestas a nivel parlamentario para penalizar el aborto en Lituania...

Ellas piden apoyo de todas las organizaciones de mujeres en Europa. Que todo el mundo lo sepa, manifieste su indignación al parlamento lituano y así ellas puedan parar todo esto a tiempo.
Aquí está el mail y las direcciones de correo donde mandar las cartas de apoyo:

The Lithuanian Parliament is currently weighing an unprecedented bill that would legally redefine the concept of family and that would establish a government-sanctioned concept of family limited exclusively to the traditional notion of a married man and woman and their children. With the stroke of a pen, this new concept of the Lithuanian family would relegate other family forms-single mothers and fathers raising children, unmarried partners raising children, and grandparents caring for their grandchildren-to second-class status.

Demographic analysis demonstrates that the structure of the Lithuanian family is changing. In 2005, almost a third of all children were born to unmarried parents living as partners. The same year, the number of divorces per 100 marriages hit 56. This is evidence of the growing number of single parents, who in 98 percent of cases are women. Until recently, high unemployment in Lithuania also encouraged migration, and half of all workers who emigrated in 2005 were married men or women. As a result a new family structure-the long-distance family-emerged. A poll conducted in 2006 showed that all these different family forms are considered as families by a majority of Lithuanians. However, the new concept of family would have practical implications, as it could ostensibly be used to prevent nontraditional families from receiving the same level of government assistance and from benefiting from government programs meant to support and strengthen the family.

This bill, the first of its kind in Europe, has been applauded as a breakthrough by the Catholic Church and conservative politicians. While today this situation is confined to Lithuania, it could only be a matter of time before other European countries become receptive to such simple-minded and seemingly harmless, yet erroneous and discriminatory, attempts to destroy families under the guise of strengthening them.

The situation is critical, and domestic groups are increasingly being sidelined from the discussion. Therefore, we ask you today to urgently communicate with Lithuanian government and Parliament officials to express your concern about the State Family Political Concept bill currently under debate in the Parliament and to remind the government of its commitment-made domestically and internationally-to protect women, children and families in all forms.

Attached we suggest some language for your letter. Please feel free to incorporate any of these paragraphs or your own thoughts in your message and send letters to:

Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament Ceslovas Jursenas
ADDRESS: Ceslovas.Jursenas@lrs.lt

Rima Baskiene, Chair of the Commission of Family affairs and child,
ADDRESS: rima.baskiene@lrs.lt

Valdas Adamkus, President of Lithuania
ADDRESS: ramunas.vilpisauskas@prezidentas.lt

Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas
ADDRESS: mp.sekretore@lrvk.lt

We would also appreciate if you send a copy of your letter to the address of Center for Equality Advancement : info@gap.lt

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!

Virginija Aleksejune
Director
On behalf of Center for Equality Advancement
Raugyklos str. 15-201, Vilnius, Lithuania
+370-5 2335380

Post publicado por Anna-Maria Penu