At its Congress in Zalau on May 13, the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania – RMDSZ – will introduce a binding quota of 15% for the representation of women at the level of the governing bodies of the county organizations, but also at national level, announced the President of the RMDSZ Hunedoara County Organization, MEP Iuliu Winkler, on Thursday, at a press conference in Deva.
Iuliu Winkler said he is a strong supporter of promoting and supporting women in political life. The MEP has shown that although he is not a supporter of compulsory quotas, as they can generate counter-selection, he still supports the modification of the RMDSZ regulation, introducing a 15% quota. According to him, the introduction of a mandatory quota system for the representation of women at the level of management structures can be a determinant factor in changing outdated mentalities across society. “If we talk about the need to change mentalities, then equal partnership is the solution. Only if the woman is indeed the equal partner of the man, in both politics and administration, and in public life in general, only then will we be able to talk about change”, said Winkler. He also stressed that there would be a recommendation that at the level of the RMDSZ local structures this share should be one third. At present, 18% of RMDSZ MPs in the Chamber of Deputies are women, while there are no women in the Senate group, pointed out the MEP. “In Hunedoara, we stand relatively well from this point of view, as within the Council of County Representatives of RMDSZ Hunedoara, 17% of members are women,” emphasized Winkler.
In the same context, the MEP stated that he is a supporter of the “Movement for Combating Violence Against Women” campaign, launched on March 8, by the RMDSZ Women´s Organization. This campaign is organized under the auspices of the European Year dedicated to the elimination of violence against women. “According to statistical data, in Romania, every 30 seconds a woman is subjected to physical aggression. Every year in our country, 200 women die as a result of physical aggression they have suffered in the family or on the street. (…) I support my colleagues’ campaign. Violence of any kind, physical, psychological, directed against women is a problem of the entire society”, stated Iuliu Winkler. He added that in this campaign, which ultimately aims to amend existing legislation, the RMDSZ Women’s Organization cooperates with similar organizations from other parties. The MEP pointed out that concerns about combating violence against women and promoting equal opportunity are matters of major interest on the European agenda. “Statistics show that, at EU level, one third of women are subject to physical or sexual aggression in the course of their lives. (…) Every 10th woman in the EU is assaulted through the new means of communication”, the MEP stressed.
Iuliu Winkler welcomed the actions undertaken by the RMDSZ Women’s Organization in this campaign, often involving meeting with young people who “are extremely important to stop the perpetuation of old mentalities.”
He also talked about finding solutions to support women from rural environments, who are victims of physical, psychological and sexual aggression. “If in the urban area, victims of aggression find support faster, including through civil society organizations and associations, in rural areas, they are totally devoid of any help. In fact, this issue was also highlighted in the report voted in April in the European Parliament Plenary in Strasbourg, on improving the services provided to victims of aggression in rural areas, given that in such cases almost no assistance is being provided currently.
The MEP also accentuated that legislation that punishes aggressors ought to be tightened and applied with celerity.
