The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, took part in the summit of chairpersons of parliaments in Paris. Among the main topics discussed were equal opportunities for women in politics and the current issue of violence against women. The summit, which was attended by leading female politicians from 25 countries, Europe, Asia, Africa, north America and Oceania was held on the eve of International Women’s Day. French President Emmanuel Macron also received the participants.
The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, took part in a two-day summit of chairpersons of parliaments in Paris. The summit, which was attended by female politicians from 25 countries, was held on the eve of International Women’s Day hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.
The joint meeting was divided into two broader thematic blocks. The first was devoted mainly to issues of equal opportunities for women and men in high politics.
“The representation of women in our Chamber of Deputies increased after the last election. It currently stands at 25%, which is the highest ratio to date. Nevertheless, this is a low number and it is still true that the experience and perspectives of women in Czech politics and in many other decision-making positions are often noticeably lacking. The fair involvement of women and men in decision-making is not only a question of abstract human rights, but a basic prerequisite for the effective creation and implementation of concrete public policies,” said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
The second thematic block then focused on the current issue of violence against women. “Even the forms of violence against women evolve over time. This happens especially in connection with the growth of new social media. That is why the prevention and fight against cyber violence has become a priority of our government. We will include the issue of gender-based violence and its new forms in basic education to strengthen its prevention. We will also continue to educate those helping victims of these forms of violence to ensure they are treated sensitively and have access to justice. Last but not least, existing legislation needs to be reviewed to ensure that it provides adequate protection to victims. For that purpose, last month in the House of Representatives we approved an amendment to the Criminal Code, which, among other things, changes the definition of rape from forcefully forced to non-consensual sexual intercourse,” added House Speaker Markéta Pekarová Adamová.