On human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2025

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AMENDMENTS

The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality submits the following to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, as the committee responsible:

Amendment 1

Motion for a resolution

Recital G (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

G. whereas migration contexts driven by poverty increase women’s exposure to violence, including sexual violence; whereas according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 90 % of female migrants travelling via the Mediterranean route are victims of rape, either by smugglers or other migrants1a;

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1a UN News, ‘Women forced to flee their homes face increased risks of sexual violence, UNHCR warns’, https://news.un.org/fr/story/2024/11/1150996.

Or. en

Amendment 2

Motion for a resolution

Recital H (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H. whereas an increasing number of women and girls in the EU are living with the consequences of female genital mutilation1a; whereas the number of girls at risk continues to rise each year – particularly those originating from countries where female genital mutilation is practiced, such as Somalia, Senegal, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Cameroon –with notable percentages in Spain (9-15 %), Denmark (11-21 %), Austria (12-18 %) and Luxembourg (12-17 %);

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1a European Institute for Gender Equality, ‘Estimation of girls at risk of female genital mutilation in the European Union: Denmark, Spain, Luxembourg and Austria’, https://eige.europa.eu/publications-resources/publications/estimation-girls-risk-female-genital-mutilation-european-union-denmark-spain-luxembourg-and-austria.

Or. en

Amendment 3

Motion for a resolution

Recital I (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

I. whereas forced marriage1a remains prevalent in several regions of the world, especially in Sub-Saharan, West and Central Africa; whereas it is being increasingly reported within migrant communities in Europe, particularly among girls originating from countries where this practice is common and legal;

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1a UN, ‘Child and forced marriage, including in humanitarian contexts’, https://www.ohchr.org/es/women/child-and-forced-marriage-including-humanitarian-settings.

Or. en

Amendment 4

Motion for a resolution

Recital J (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

J. whereas evidence shows that family breakdown and a lack of stable family structures disproportionately expose women and children to social and economic vulnerability, undermine their safety, well-being and opportunities, weaken social cohesion and contribute to political instability1a;

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1a Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, ‘OECD Family Database’, https://www.oecd.org/en/data/datasets/oecd-family-database.html.

Or. en

Amendment 5

Motion for a resolution

Recital K (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

K. whereas Christian communities remain the most persecuted religious group worldwide, with women and girls often targeted through sexual violence and forced conversion1a;

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1a Open Doors, ‘Worldwide: Insecurity - The Gender Report 2024’, https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/research-reports/articles/stories/Worldwide-Insecurity-The-Gender-Report-2024/.

Or. en

Amendment 6

Motion for a resolution

Recital L (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

L. whereas selective abortion based on the sex of the unborn child continues to affect millions of girls worldwide, with India and China experiencing significant sex-ratio imbalances; whereas this practice not only undermines the fundamental right to life, but also constitutes a form of discrimination based on sex;

Or. en

Amendment 7

Motion for a resolution

Recital M (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

M. whereas forced abortion and coercion to abort constitute grave fundamental human rights violations and a form of violence against women, depriving mothers of their dignity and denying unborn children the right to life; whereas this practice not only undermines motherhood and the family, but also exposes the dangerous consequences of treating human life as disposable;

Or. en

Amendment 8

Motion for a resolution

Recital N (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

N. whereas Directive (EU) 2024/17121a includes the exploitation of surrogacy, forced marriage and illegal adoption within the scope of practices constituting trafficking in human beings; whereas the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls recognised surrogacy as a form of economic, psychological, physical and reproductive violence against women in her report on violence against women and girls (A/80/158)1b;

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1a Directive (EU) 2024/1712 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 amending Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims, (OJ L, 2024/1712, 24.6.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1712/oj).

1b UN General Assembly, ‘Violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences – Note by the Secretary-General’, 80th session, https://docs.un.org/en/A/80/158.

Or. en

Amendment 9

Motion for a resolution

Recital O (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

O. whereas the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls (A/HRC/59/47)1a highlights that the systematic erasure of sex-specific language and categories in law and policy constitutes a direct assault on women, weakening their protections and obscuring the real causes of violence and discrimination; whereas, as indicated in the same report, in several countries women who defend the political importance of biological sex face censorship, legal harassment, loss of employment and income, removal from platforms and speaking engagements, and denial of the publication of their research, with some being ostracised to the point of their attempting suicide, severely undermining the safe and dignified participation of women and girls in society;

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1a UN Human Rights Council, ‘Sex-based violence against women and girls: new frontiers and emerging issues’, 59th session, https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session59/advance-version/a-hrc-59-47-aev.pdf.

Or. en

Amendment 10

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1a. Regrets that the 2025 Fundamental Rights Report of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights does not address the persecution of Christians, including the particular vulnerabilities faced by Christian women;

Or. en

Amendment 11

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4a. Calls on the Member States to design and implement policies that strengthen family life, protect the integrity of households, and provide comprehensive support to parents, particularly mothers, as a key measure to safeguard social stability, the well-being of children, and the proper functioning of democratic societies;

Or. en

Amendment 12

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 25 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

25a. Stresses that irregular migration routes, particularly those across the Mediterranean, have become environments where women are systematically exposed to violence, including rape and other forms of abuse; underlines that by tolerating unsafe and illegal migration channels, the EU is indirectly exposing women to these risks; calls, therefore, for policies at EU level that effectively dismantle smuggling networks, prevent the exploitation of women in transit and prioritise security and protection over irregular entry;

Or. en

Amendment 13

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 26 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

26a. Recalls that the EU must actively condemn forced abortion, coercion to abort, and sex-selective abortion as fundamental human rights violations; calls on the Member States to implement effective measures that protect the right to life of the unborn child and that safeguard the dignity of women;

Or. en

Amendment 14

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 26 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

26b. Reiterates its opposition to the various forms of trafficking in human beings and exploitation of women, including the exploitation of surrogacy, forced marriage and illegal adoption; encourages the Member States to condemn and combat these practices; welcomes the initiative of the Casablanca Declaration, an international group of experts, researchers, lawyers and doctors who have drawn up a proposal for an international convention for the global prohibition of surrogacy;

Or. en

Amendment 15

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 38 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

38a. Regrets the destructive consequences of gender ideology and the erasure of women’s identity, which have undermined their rights and protections, exposed them to discrimination and violence, and seriously impacted their emotional and psychological well-being; calls on the Member States to act decisively to restore clarity in law and policy, defend the category of ‘woman’, and ensure women’s safety and dignity;

Or. en

Amendment 16

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 39 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

39a. Recalls that the increasing prevalence of female genital mutilation and forced marriage among girls originating from countries where these practices are legal, and the rising number of cases being reported within migrant communities in Europe, constitutes a serious threat to the well-being and safety of women and girls; underlines that the EU must prioritise their protection and ensure their fundamental human rights are upheld; calls, therefore, for strict measures to prevent the entry into the EU of individuals and organisations seeking to perpetuate such harmful practices and for policies that effectively safeguard the health, dignity and security of women and girls;

Or. en