Activities of Sylwia SPUREK related to 2022/2138(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Sexual harassment in the EU and MeToo evaluation (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on sexual harassment in the EU and MeToo evaluation
Amendments (64)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2
Citation 2
— having regard to Articles 8, 10, 19, 83, 153 and 1957 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
— having regard to the Commission communication of 12 November 2020 entitled ‘Union of Equality: LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025’ (COM(2020)698)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 11 September 2018 on measures to prevent and combat mobbing and sexual harassment at workplace, in public spaces, and political life in the EU,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)
Citation 11 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 6 December 2021 on recommendations to the Commission on combating gender- based violence: cyberviolence
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 14 February 2023 on the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence: EU accession,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
— having regard to Article 12a of the EU Staff Regulations;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16
Citation 16
— having regard to Rule 10 (6) and 54 of its Rules of Procedure,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
— having regard to the Bureau Decision of 2 July 2018 on the functioning of the advisory committee dealing with harassment complaints concerning Members of the European Parliament and its procedures for dealing with complaints,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas ‘’sexual harassment’’ is a form of gender-based violence and an extreme form of gender-based discrimination which affects women and girls disproportionally; whereas sexual harassment is often linked to otherdefined in EU law as an incident ‘where any forms of discrimination in addition to gender- based discrimination and has to be addressed with an intersectional approach and from all its anglesunwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature occurs, with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person or resulting in other forms of physical, psychological, sexual and economic harm, in particular when creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment’;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas “sexual harassment at work” means any form of unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, where it occurs in the course of, linked with, or arising from the world of work including service relationships, informal and undocumented work, with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity a person or resulting in other forms of physical, psychological, sexual and economic harm, in particular when creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, including where a person’s rejection of, or submission to, such conduct is used explicitly or implicitly as a basis for job- related decisions; whereas sexual violence and harassment in the workplace is a matter of health and safety and should be treated and prevented as such;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
B c. whereas gender-based discrimination, including sexual harassment, can be exacerbated where it intersects with discrimination based on gender or sex and other grounds of discrimination prohibited by Union law, namely nationality, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, birth, dissability, age, sexual orientation, anbd socioeconomic class; whereas sexual harassment and intersectional harassment needs to be addressed with an intersectional approach and from all its angles;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the proportion of women who have ever worked and have experienced any unwanted behaviour with a sexual connotation in the workplace varies between Member States, ranging from 11 % to 41 %7 ; _________________ 7 EU survey on gender-based violence against[7]; whereas every second womean and other forms of inter- personal violence (EU-GBV) – first results – 2022 edition.in the EU has experienced sexual harassment at least once since the age of 15;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the percentage of people experiencing sexual harassment is higher when they are part of one or more marginalized groups; whereas 21% of LGBTIQ+ felt discriminated against at work, whereas the percentage is even higher for trans (35%) and intersex (32%) people1a; _________________ 1a https://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2020/ eu-lgbti-survey-results
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas sexual harassment is widespread but under-reported; whereas harassment in the workplace has serious consequences for the physical and psychological health and well-being of employees and therefore its prevention and treatment should be a priority for every due to a number of reasons, such as low public awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment and whether it is punishable by law, a lack of effective, transparent, reliable and independent systems of reporting and victim support and protection in the workplace and by law authorities, a lack of information on where and how to report forms of sexual harassment or a general fear of reporting related to possible re-victimization or retaliation by the perpetrator or in cases of sexual harassment in the workplace, a fear of termination of contract by the employer;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas harassment in the workplace has serious consequences for the physical and psychological health and well-being of employees and therefore its prevention and treatment should be a priority for every employer; whereas sexual harassment in the workplace is particularly prevalent in sectors with low levels of job security, such as sectors characterised by high rates of short-term freelance contracts;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
D b. whereas sexual harassment continues to represent serious problems in a variety of social settings, including the workplace, public spaces, virtual spaces such as the internet, and political life, and are increasingly being carried out using new technologies, for example websites or social networks, enabling perpetrators to feel safe under cover of anonymity; whereas sexual harassment online can constitute amongst other things non- consensual sharing of intimate content, cyberstalking, exploitation, coercion or threats of a sexual nature, sexualised bullying and unwanted sexualisation;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas thseveral Member States have made progress made in addressing the issue of sexual harassment after the MeToo movement is not sufficient and there is still a lot to be done within the European institutions and beyond; whereas the European institutions have started tospread globally and in Europe by adapting their internal rules and procedures in order to better identify, counter and sanction harassment; whereas the implementation of prevention melegislation and policies in that regard, however emphasizes that sufficient chanismges has given rise to a certain degree of reluctance resulting not only from ignorance of the phenomenon of harassment but also from the lack of clarity of the existing legal rulesve not been made and there is still a lot to be done to eliminate harassment in the EU;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas the European institutions have started to adapt their internal rules and procedures in order to better prevent, identify, counter and sanction harassment; whereas the implementation of prevention mechanisms and reforms of anti-harassment procedures in the European Parliament, as called for in the EP resolution of 16 December 2021 on MeToo, has been met with a certain degree of reluctance to implement these calls, resulting not only from ignorance of the phenomenon of harassment but also from the lack of clarity of Parliament’s legal rules;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas in its previous resolutions, Parliament called for the introduction of several internal concrete measures introducing a zero-tolerance approach but, several years on, only some of them have been fully implemented and more needs to be done;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the European institutions in general and the European Parliament in particular, as a legislator, should set an example for all employers in all their diversity; whereas Members of the European Parliament, both as the directly elected representatives of EU citizens and as legislators, have a special responsibility to carry out their duties respecting the highest standards and EU law;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Strongly supports the international MeToo campaign, first founded by activist Tarana Burke in 2006 to help victims of sexual violence, and spread globally in 2017 after #MeToo went viral; applauds the millions of people who came forward with their stories of sexual violence to break the silence and seek justice;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates its call for the EU and theall Member States to swiftly ratify the Istanbul Convention; is convinced that the EU and the Member States should learn from the crises andbe alert to backlashes against gender equality by adopting and implementing concrete, efficient and ambitious rules and policies on preventing and combating gender-based violence;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Reiterates its call on the Council to activate the passerelle clause by adopting a unanimous decision identifying gender- based violence as one of the areas of crime listed in Article 83(1) of the TFEU;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Recalls that EU law requires Member States, EU institutions and agencies to ensure that an equality body is in place to provide independent assistance to victims of harassment, conduct independent surveys, collect relevant, disaggregated and comparable data, conduct research on definitions and classifications, publish independent reports and make recommendations on matters of employment and training, on access to and the supply of goods and services, and for the self-employed; welcomes the new proposal for two Directives from the European Commission of 7 December 2022 that aim to establish binding standards for equality bodies in the field of equal treatment;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Welcomes the Fundamental Rights Agency survey on violence against women conducted in 2014, and welcomes the new FRA EU-wide survey planned for 2024; emphasizes the importance for having frequent disaggregated data on gender- based violence as to map the scale of the issue , calls on the Commission and Member States to do everything necessary to make this a reality;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is convinced that the European institutions should behave as exemplary employers and establish zero-tolerance standards for harassment and work actively on prevention of harassment, adequate victim protection and support, and countering all forms of discrimination and should apply strict implementation of its rules in this regard;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Regrets the fact that, in spite of the progress initiated by the MeTooEP campaign, which helped to break the silence and raise awareness of the need to implement better working conditions for all staff, cases of sexual harassment still occur in the European institutions, including Parliamentanti-harassment policies to protect all people working in the European Parliament , cases of sexual harassment still occur and victims are not sufficiently supported and protected,; recalls that these cases cast a shadow over the functioning of our institutions and undermine the confidence of EU citizens in them;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls the importance of prevention, withlong-term specialized trainings and information and awareness- raising efforts, and the promotion of zero- harassment campaigns and policies; considers that the existing campaigns should be reinforcedpreventive measures shall in particular aim at empowering women and supporting men to challenge harmful gender stereotypes, educating on the concept of consent, promoting gender- equality for a safe working environment, encouraging all, to act as positive role models towards a gender violence free society; considers that the existing campaigns should be regularly updated and reinforced, in particular on intersectional and sexual harassment;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that sexual harassment cases are still under-reported because victims do not use the existing channels, demonstrating the need for further efforts with regard to the prevention of sexual harassment; because of amongst other things, the lack of a comprehensive system of reporting, support, and care for the victims of sexual harassment based on human rights standards, demonstrating the need for further efforts with regard to the prevention of sexual harassment; Calls on Member States to provide a standardized gender sensitive action protocols to secure and support all victims of sexual harassment, including victims of cross-border sexual harassment
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Notes the importance of addressing intersectional sexual harassment, through creating an inclusive and respectful environment, where all members of the community are valued and treated with dignity, regardless of their race, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, disability, or other characteristics; notes that the problem of intersectional sexual harassment should be a concern of society as a whole;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Calls on Member States to motivate people of all genders and gender identities to combat sexual harassment and actively participate in social change; considers that sexual harassment should concern people of all genders, and society as a whole; calls on Member States to ensure that men play a positive role in combating sexual harassment and other forms of abuse and violence taking into account that 82% of sexual harassment incidents against women involve a male perpetrator; calls on Member States to provide inclusive sexuality education for all, including boys and men, to recognise and prevent sexual harassment and abuse;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls the duty of all of the European institutions to put in place all necessary policies and standardized gender sensitive action protocols to prevent and address all forms of harassment and violence, and urges them to ensure that all of the rules in place guarantee a zero-tolerance approach to any forms of misconduct and full support for all victims; calls on the European institutions to strengthen their internal rules and policies to ensure that in cases of harassment and violence, they should not only suspend the perpetrator, but also entirely remove their salary;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 a (new)
Subheading 1 a (new)
MeToo evaluation in the EU
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Highlights the fact that sexual harassment and violence are not commonly defined and criminalised in the EU, thus creating fragmented protections and rights for victims across Member States, proving the need for an common EU approach that can be reached through adding gender-based violence as a Eurocrime; reiterates is call to the Council to adopt this;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8 c. Calls on Member States to criminalise all forms of sexual harassment, both online and offline, and to implement mandatory specialized gender sensitive trainings for professionals coming into contact with victims of sexual violence on how to support and help victims, calls on Member States to invest in law enforcement and judicial capacities, specifically those dealing with cases of gender-based and sexual violence;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8 d. Calls on the Commission to assess, exchange and compare the existing best practices of combating sexual harassment in the workplace and to disseminate the results of this assessment as regards the effective measures that Member States could take to encourage companies, social partners and organisations involved in vocational training to prevent all forms of gender-based discrimination, in particular as regards harassment and sexual harassment in the workplace;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 e (new)
Paragraph 8 e (new)
8 e. Notes that it is important to have a comprehensive anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policy that takes into account intersectionality and the unique experiences of marginalised groups. Education, training, and awareness- raising efforts that address intersectionality and the specific needs of marginalised groups should be provided to staff and members of the European institutions;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 f (new)
Paragraph 8 f (new)
8 f. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that funding mechanisms for programmes to combat violence against women can be used for awareness raising and to support civil society organisations addressing violence against women, including sexual harassment;
Amendment 179 #
8 f. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that EU funding is available and accessible for organizations that design and develop anti-harassment policies, specifically in the place of work;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 a (new)
Subheading 1 a (new)
Sexual harassment in the workplace
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 g (new)
Paragraph 8 g (new)
8 g. Emphasizes that psychological and sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal and perpetrators can be subject to criminal and/or administrative proceedings;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 h (new)
Paragraph 8 h (new)
8 h. Calls on Member States to ratify the International Labour Organisation Convention on Violence and Harassment (No. 190);
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 i (new)
Paragraph 8 i (new)
8 i. Calls on Member States to ensure effective reporting mechanisms and procedures in cases of violence and harassment in the world of work and establish necessary measures to ensure protection against the victimization of or retaliation against complainants, victims, witnesses and whistle-blowers and ensure the protection of the privacy of those individuals involved and confidentiality and ensure that requirements for privacy and confidentiality are not misused;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 j (new)
Paragraph 8 j (new)
8 j. Recommends that advice on adequately addressing harassment at the workplace and ensuring a safe work environment, legal remedies available to the employer including disciplinary measures and providing the possibility of early conciliation, if the victim wishes so, and legal advice and support for victims, should be provided by external counseling services to both victims and employers;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 k (new)
Paragraph 8 k (new)
8 k. Calls on the Commission and Member states to make available appropriate resources to promote the establishment and continuation of safe spaces in the workplace, both online and offline, in particular single gender safe spaces, where women in all their intersectional diversity, may go in order to exchange information, and build community networks and receive peer- support, especially to those with the goal of empowering and uplifting women in all their intersectional diversity;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 l (new)
Paragraph 8 l (new)
8 l. Calls on Member States to ensure that all workers, at the start of their contract, receive information on anti- harassment procedures and policies in place, the workers’ rights in instances of harassment and violence against them in the workplace and accessing external counseling services;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Subheading 2
Harassment in the European ParliamentU institutions
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Insists that the measures to address sexual harassment are not strong enough and do not include all of the actions requested in previous resolutions; wWelcomes the fact that this parliamentary term is the first in which Members of the European Parliament have been required to sign a declaration confirming their commitment to complying with the Code of Appropriate Behaviour which has explicit paragraphs on harassment;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Welcomes the progress made on reforming anti-harassment policy in the different EU institutions after the MeToo movement was formed; however notes that in all institutions, improvements can be made as to better protect and support victims and sanction perpetrators;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9 b. Calls on all EU institutions and agencies to regularly exchange their best practices in tackling harassment, including anti-harassment policies, guidelines or any new provisions on how to deal with it;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9 c. Calls for all EU institutions to introduce a network of confidential counsellors or external mediators to provide guidance and support to victims of sexual harassment and encourages cooperation between confidential counsellors in different EU bodies, which is essential for smaller bodies with fewer staff members available to provide adequate support;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the harassment prevention training offered to Members, managers in Parliament’s Secretariat and staff; is convinced, however, that voluntary harassment prevention training has proven insufficient as only 260 out of 705 Members have completed the training in this term; calls again for the introduction of mandatory training for all Membermplementation of mandatory training for all Members and staff, requests the competent Parliament bodies and services to assess what consequences could be attached for non-completion of this training, such as possible limiting of hiring staff, financial sanctions or removing the possibility to be rapporteur or office-holder in the EP, and adapt its rules accordingly; calls for a public list on the Parliament’s website with Members that have completed the training, and those who have not; emphasises as well the need for trainings to be frequently available in all EU languages;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Calls again for full transparency about how Parliament is addressing issues of harassment, while protecting the identity of those affected, and invites both committees to draft and publish their monitoring reports and risk assessments annually on the European Parliament website; calls again for an independent evaluation of the measures in place by external and auditors selected in a transparent procedure; recommends, in line with its previous resolutions, that a task force of independent experts be set up with a mandate to examine the situation of sexual harassment and abuse in Parliament, in order to carry out an evaluation of its existing Advisory Committee dealing with complaints between Accredited Parliamentary Assistants and Members of the European Parliament concerning Harassment and its Prevention at the Workplace and the Staff Advisory Committee for Parliament Staff on Harassment Prevention, and propose adequate changes;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Asks for the composition of thetwo advisory committees to be updatmerged into ensure an equal representation of external experts with proven expertise in tackling harassment in the workplace, including docone committee dealing with cases of harassment, with the composition of one Quaestors, therapists and legal experts in the domain of harassment and to change their status to full members with voting rightswo representatives of the APA and/or staff committee and three professional experts such as a doctor, psychologist and legal advisor to allow for a fair balanced composition; calls for thea crleation of a confidential register of cases over time, as already requested in the resolutions dating from 2017 and 2021r mandate and transparent selection process for these members;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Notes the importance of whistleblowers in harassment cases; reiterates its recommendation to revise the Staff Regulations, especially Article 22c thereof, in order to align it with the standards of the Whistleblower Directive; calls on the Bureau, in the interim, to immediately revise Parliament’s Internal Rules Implementing Article 22c of the Staff Regulations to bring them in line with the protections provided for in the Whistleblower Directive;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for the European Ombudsman to provide coherent information on an annual basis to Parliament’s High-Level Group on Gender Equality and Diversity regarding complaints about maladministration relating to gender equality in Parliament and to other EU institutions;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Calls on the European Parliamentary Research Service to commission a study on the added value of whistle-blower platforms in workplaces and how it could be applicable within the EU institutions, the outcomes and recommendations of which should be presented in a workshop or hearing with exchanges of views in relevant Parliament committees;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Calls on the European institutions to strengthen their internal rules and policies to ensure that in cases of harassment and violence, they should not only suspend the perpetrator, but also entirely suspend their salary and other connected income or end their contract;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14 c. Calls on the European institutions to implement an external audit on the situation of harassment in their institution, including the review of existing procedures and systems in place that deal with cases of harassment, and make reforms on the basis of the conclusions and recommendation of that audit and make it public;