The promotion of women's rights in the Mediterranean Region : the effectiveness of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership

Abstract

"Women's rights" is considered by many as a controversial topic. Women's rights in the western world are intimately linked with human rights, something that belongs to every human. Women's rights in the Arab world are instantly linked with culture, religion and centuries of tradition. Human rights, including women's rights and democracy, are a bone of contention between the Arab world and the Western world. The area in the world where the Western values "clash" with Arab ones is the Mediterranean region. The Mediterranean is divided mainly into three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It is an area of different civilisations and civilisations that do not sympathise a lot with each other. Here, inter-state and intra-state tensions are quite common. Long-lasting peace and stability can hardly be achieved unless there is the will of the states surrounding the basin to find common denominators which would lay the basis for mutual respect and durable peaceful co-existence. The influence of external powers throughout history, the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the tensions between Greece and Turkey over the Cyprus issue, amongst others, do not help towards this ultimate objective. The European Union, through the launching of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) ten years ago, has attempted to start addressing a number of issues affecting the Mediterranean. One important aspect of the EMP is the improvement of human rights in the Middle East and North African (MENA) counties. In the Western culture, it is a fact that women contribute to the economic well-being of a country and even to democracy. Therefore, it is crucial that women's rights are protected. It seems that the southern Mediterranean states are unable to come to terms with such a reality. Human rights are a sensitive subject and external intervention in a state' s internal matters is not usually readily accepted. With patience and tactful approach, MENA countries may be eventually convinced to accept external encouragement not to fear change. This paper argues that improving women' s rights in the countries surrounding the southern shores of the Mediterranean would help tackle the problems of lack of democracy, human rights violations and poor economic performance. And here is what this thesis is all about. It is about the contribution that international institutions and, in particularly the EU through the EMP, can give towards a more stable and prosperous Mediterranean region. This study will attempt to measure the effectiveness of EMP's effort in this respect.