Consultation: | FYEG General Assembly 2021 |
---|---|
Agenda item: | 2 New FYEG Political Platform |
Status: | Modified |
Submitted: | 07/01/2021, 17:13 |
History: | Version 1 |
PP2-Inew: FYEG Political Platform - Introduction + A Diverse and Feminist Europe
Political Platform text
We, the Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG), are the movement of the
Green youth at the European level. Our individual and organisational backgrounds
lie in the social and environmental justice movements, in feminist and queer
battles, and in the defence of fundamental rights and democracy. For more than
30 years, our member organisations have joined forces at the European level,
uniting their collective voices and aspirations to learn from each other, to
debate, to campaign together, and to make the green Europe we wish to see become
a reality.
Through our shared struggles and aspirations, we see that not a single one of
our political issues is a lone priority. We refuse to choose between the
survival and well-being of the planet, our personal liberties and freedoms, and
social welfare. To be Green means to fight for all these demands simultaneously.
To achieve our goal of a feminist, diverse, democratic, sustainable, and social
Europe, we use different channels, political arenas, and tools. The institutions
of formal politics are spaces in which many decisions affecting our lives and
our politics are made. We work to be present and heard at all stages and levels,
and to make clear the urgency of Green politics.
FYEG advocates for systemic changes that cannot be achieved through a catalogue
of single-issue political measures. They require the dismantling of various
systems of oppression and the transformation of society as a whole. Therefore,
our fight is not limited to institutions. We are also active at the grassroots
level, running campaigns together, supporting local struggles, and empowering
changemakers through non-formal education projects.
Our work and practices as a movement must be aligned with what we stand for. We
must fight against the sexist, racist, ageist, ableist, class-based systems of
oppression – also within our own organisations. Only in this way can we build a
truly inclusive movement for all.
The challenges lie not only in victories within institutional politics, but also
in changing the political playing field. The dreams and actions of a small
number of committed individuals and movements can bring causes to the centre of
the political debate and, by doing so, effect much-needed change.
As the Federation of Young European Greens, we agree on the principles laid down
in this document, which should serve as a basis for our work across Europe.
1. A Diverse and Feminist Europe
FYEG fights for intersectional* feminism*, a feminism that is anti-racist, anti-
fascist, and draws from the queer* and disability rights movements. A feminism
that recognises diversity and the different ways in which privilege* and
oppression* manifest in society. Our feminism is not just about smashing the
patriarchy*, but about smashing all systems of oppression. We are against
societies that only feed the dominant power. We push for an alternative model
based on justice and equity for those devalued by systems of oppression, one
that actively undermines the dominant power.
Systems of oppression seek to divide us, control us, and harm everyone in
society. We will not let them. We fight any kind of discrimination or hate crime
on the basis of real or assumed nationality, race, ethnicity, religion or
beliefs, gender and sexual identity, ideology, disability, class, or age. We
recognise the difference and diversity among people and societies in Europe, and
see this as a richness.
We advocate for policies created with people who experience discrimination and
support affirmative action for underrepresented groups. We demand anti-
discrimination laws. Governments must take measures to ensure the safety and
health of marginalized groups.
As we work for a Europe which is truly welcoming and inclusive for all, we take
a twofold approach. First, we work for social justice* and equality now – within
the limits of the current norms, within the systems that constrain us – while
recognising that this can never be social justice for everyone and that, in this
way, only small gains are made. Second, we question the systems, we think them
anew, in order to break free from the norms and boundaries that constrain us.
Systems of oppression are a social construct and can therefore be deconstructed,
with the help of collective action and organising. We can imagine and give life
to new systems that work for all. We question human-made borders, the
arbitrariness of passports and permits, and the dichotomy of binary gender*.
a. Diversity and Intersectionality
Global systems of patriarchy, capitalism, colonialism and racism, and their
byproducts, ableism, cis- and hetero-sexism* and colourism*, among others,
intersect to create overlapping and mutually reinforcing layers of oppression
and inequality.The solutions we push for must therefore be rooted in an
intersectional perspective. When approaching a specific case of oppression, we
should not lose sight of the bigger framework in which oppression takes place,
as well as other systems of inequality associated with it.
When fighting inequality and tackling societal problems, we keep in mind that a
person’s identity has many facets and oppose approaches which define a group as
homogenous and based on a single identity.
We understand that all dimensions of a person’s identity contribute to a
person’s access to justice and equality. Inequality can take many forms, ranging
from the lack of representation of a specific identity in the public sphere to
the criminalisation of identities. Our aspiration is a world in which such
inequalities are dismantled, and people can express themselves and their
identities freely and without fear.
When new policies are proposed at all levels of governance, they should be
analysed from an intersectional perspective , taking into account the
individual, systemic, institutional and historical dimensions of inequality to
ensure that no one is left behind.
b. Anti-racism
Today, European societies remain deeply racist. In such a context, it is not
enough to simply not be racist – we must be anti-racist. Racism is not only
about hate speech and hate crime: it is the systemic discrimination against and
oppression of people on the basis of their supposed membership of a particular
racial or ethnic group. It includes antiziganism, antisemitism*, and
islamophobia*. It is built through the perpetuation of prejudices, as well as
the belief that there are different races and that some races are superior to
others. In the case of antisemitism, this ‘belief’ has evolved into a world-
explaining conspiracy ideology which sees all evil in Jews and their destruction
as the liberation from evil. Antisemitism is a continual presence in society in
its entirety and antisemitic attitudes can be found across all groups of
society. We must always fight antisemitism in all its forms and appearances,
including in an anti-racist context.
European societies are built on the ongoing oppression and discrimination of
racialised people*, including Black people, people of colour, Roma and Traveller
communities, Indigenous peoples, Muslims, and Jews . Today, racialised people
are still second-class citizens in Europe. This oppression is visible in the
institutions, on the streets, and in culture. Racialised people face police
violence and are discriminated against in all aspects of life, from job
opportunities to access to healthcare and housing. Hate and discrimination with
respect to religions and religious individuals and groups also forms an
important part in analysing certain social phenomena, including hate crimes,
discriminatory acts and anti-religious sentiments, in an anti-racist context.
Though they are not related to race and/or ethnicity, they still intersect with
other parts of one's identity and are also being unjustly conflated with the
race and/or ethnicity. (See Religion).
Race should be understood as a social construct and as a category that is used
to discriminate against people of colour and other racialised groups, and not as
a biological reality.
Racism in Europe is, among others, rooted in the colonial and imperialist
history of European countries. The ideologies and inequalities that it created
are still present today. To properly tackle racism, Europe must face up to its
colonial past and recognise the racism present in European history, societies,
cultures, and institutions. An appropriate response to this must include
monetary reparations for the former colonies of European states, as well as the
return of stolen artefacts currently exhibited and kept in European museums. The
colonial art restitution debate is a necessity and key contribution to the
decolonization of these relationships.
As racism is a structural and systemic problem, public and private institutions
must review and change their structures and processes. FYEG supports mechanisms
to dismantle racism and achieve justice for those who are marginalised by
systemic racism. We support the introduction of mechanisms of affirmative action
including access to higher education or public jobs. States must fight
discrimination in access to healthcare, jobs, justice, and education. To ensure
that the population and in particular the next generation is educated about
racism, curricula should be designed that cover different forms and appearances
of racism, its history, systemic and structural causes and who has benefitted
from this.
Equipped with this knowledge and tools to reflect their situation and
circumstances of living, individuals have to recognise their own privileges,
educate themselves, and join in solidarity with people and communities affected
by racism.
More specifically, FYEG strongly believes that addressing racial oppression
holds the key to achieving not only social justice but also climate justice and
equity. Racialised activists have been at the forefront of justice struggles. In
their struggles they are either made invisible by white people or have been
disproportionately targeted by state violence. It is essential for our movements
to recognise and actively fight against the mechanisms that have resulted in the
exclusion and silencing of racialised activists.
c. Disability rights
FYEG supports the rights and fights of disabled people. Disability can refer to
physical or intellectual impairments and can include mental and/or chronic
health conditions. Ableism* is discrimination or social prejudice against
disabled people, such as assuming a disabled person does not have the same
capabilities as an able-bodied person to perform certain tasks or roles within
society.
Being disabled should not limit a person's choices to be present in public
spaces, interact with the world around them, and take part in social, political,
and cultural activities. FYEG supports the social model of disability, which
sees that social environments exclude and impair people, prevent them from
exercising their autonomy, and reduce equality, rather than the person's own
impairment.
To remove these barriers, FYEG supports a holistic approach to increasing
accessibility which puts disabled people at the centre of policy development.
Policies must be created by them and for them. FYEG recognises that disability
is unique to each individual and their own experience, and that there can be no
one-size-fits-all policy or healthcare approach.
We believe that sign language should be recognised by all states as an official
language, and that access to sign language, braille, and other methods of
communication should be broadened. FYEG also believes that all barriers should
be removed that prevent disabled people from accessing their civil and political
rights; these can include physical and social barriers.
When it comes to healthcare treatment for disabled people, medical professionals
should work on the assumption that individuals are capable of giving consent
unless they are informed otherwise. Medical professionals should not proceed
with any form of treatment without first seeking the consent of the person
receiving the treatment.
d. Gender
FYEG works towards a world in which people can thrive and know it is safe to be
themselves, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender
expression, and sex characteristics.
Gender-based violence* is a brutal violation of human rights. It affects people
of all social and economic backgrounds across Europe. Women of colour, women
with disabilities, LGBTQIA+* women, migrant women, and poor and working-class
women are most likely to be at risk and face the biggest obstacles to getting
help.
The historical, systemic exclusion of marginalised genders at all levels of
political decision-making, from local to European institutions, finally needs to
stop. Different mechanisms, including quotas, can help to correct this, and
ensure the proportional representation of all gender identities in assemblies at
all levels of government in Europe.
Our long-term aspiration is a fluid world. We recognise that labels, while
helping us to identify how to fight for rights and justice in a system built
against us, cannot represent the spectrum of identities and expressions we
embody. Our short-term task is to work for LGBTQIA+ rights, to work for sexual
and reproductive health and rights* (SRHR), to fight against gender-based
violence, and to continue to advocate for gender equality at all levels of
society – at home, in the workplace, in politics, etc. We work towards a world
in which every person has the right to live freely according to their gender
identity and gender expression, and the right to self-determination* and bodily
autonomy*.
1. Sexual and reproductive health and rights, combatting
discrimination and gender-based violence
Sexual and reproductive health and rights should be part of all educational
curricula and should be effectively implemented in all schools. The sexual
education curriculum should be non-judgemental, sex positive, consent-focused,
and comprehensive enough to cover sexual orientation, gender identity, gender
expression, and sex characteristics. More funding and research should be
allocated to sexual education and reproductive healthcare.
We demand free, accessible, good quality, and safe sexual and reproductive
healthcare and services for all. Healthcare should be based on human rights,
bodily autonomy, and informed consent* for all, especially the most vulnerable
groups, such as trans people*, people with disabilities, people without papers,
and migrants. Additionally, there must be appropriate funding for gender
specific medical research since women, trans* and gender non-conforming persons
usually don't exist in medical research at all or only as pathologised objects.
This must change.
Free and accessible sexual and reproductive healthcare should include accessible
and free contraception for all, as well as medically-assisted procreation*.
There will also be more money for research into new forms of contraception, such
as the male pill. Pink tax discrimination* should end. Menstrual products should
be cost-free and freely accessible everywhere, including schools, universities,
and public toilets. Wherever there is free toilet paper there should be free
menstrual products. Gender-neutral toilets will be realized in all publicly
accessible buildings and for employees. In large buildings, there will be at
least one toilet on each floor that is accessible to everyone. Toilet shortages
shouldn't be a problem for anyone.
Each year thousands of people die because of the criminalisation of and lack of
access to abortion. Banning abortion only causes greater harm to those who seek
it, who then undergo serious health, legal, and financial risks to have an
abortion illegally. We condemn all attempts to restrict access to abortion. We
advocate for free, accessible, non-judgemental, good quality, safe, legal, and
local abortion. The right to abortion must be included in the EU’s Charter of
Fundamental Rights*.
Certain countries require trans people wishing to access legal gender
recognition procedures to undergo forced sterilisation. This violates their
dignity and right to bodily autonomy and must be banned. Non-consensual
surgeries on intersex people* should also be outlawed. States must ban all
dehumanising practices and offer reparations to all trans and intersex people
who have been forced to renounce their bodily autonomy in this way.
The stigmatisation of HIV* must end. HIV treatment is highly effective in
reducing the transmission of HIV and people with an undetectable viral load
cannot transmit HIV . Legal discrimination against people with HIV must stop.
More funds should be allocated to education and raising awareness on HIV and HIV
prevention, as well as to research and treatment. HIV treatment HIV prevention,
and testing for HIV should be free and universally accessible.
Women and girls (cis and trans) are often exposed to serious forms of physical
violence including domestic violence, sexual assault, and rape. We demand the
legal definition of rape to respect individual self-determination. Today, rape
is generally defined as sexual intercourse with a person by forcible compulsion;
sexual intercourse with a person who is incapable of consent by reason of being
physically helpless or mentally incapacitated; or sexual intercourse with an
underage person. We demand for it to be defined by lack of consent, not by the
threat of violence.
All European countries must implement the Istanbul Convention*. The Convention
sets out measures to address all forms of violence against women, recognising
this violence as a human rights violation and a form of discrimination.
Countries need to provide clear and concise information for victims in a
language they understand, accessible and inclusive shelters, and telephone
hotlines.
We acknowledge the gender-based discrimination of women in the labour market,
including the underpayment of historically female-dominated occupations. We
therefore demand equal pay for equally valuable work and an end to
discrimination based on pregnancy and parenthood.
2. LGBTQIA+ rights
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, and asexual rights are still
under attack in our patriarchal, capitalist system. Even today, conservative
governments are trying to take away the hard-earned freedoms and rights of
LGBTQIA+ people. Homophobia* and transphobia* can fuel hate speech and hate
crime and should be criminalised.
Every person should have the right to live according to their sexual
orientation, gender identity, and gender expression freely and without fear. So-
called “conversion therapy”* is dehumanising and must be banned and prosecuted
immediately. The relationships of same- and opposite-sex couples and their
families should enjoy equal recognition. All couples have a right to family
life. This includes the right to adoption and foster care, the right for all
people with a uterus to have access to medically assisted procreation*, and the
right of equal access to sperm donation, regardless of their sexual orientation,
health or relationship status. IVF treatments should be equally reimbursable to
all couples. Marriages and civil unions must be open to all couples, and those
recognised in one European country must also be and automatically fully
recognised in all others.
Trans women are women, trans men are men, being non-binary is valid, and trans
rights are human rights. Mandatory mental health assessments violate trans
people’s dignity and right to self-determination and should be banned. We demand
legal gender recognition procedures for all genders and none, and the right to
change names in an auto-declarative and unconditional manner. These procedures
should be quick, transparent, accessible, free, based solely on individual self-
determination, and without age restrictions. Additionally, we call for the
removal of all sex markers in identity documents, including passports.
e. Religion
Pluralistic societies* depend on enabling a safe space in which each person is
free to believe or not believe, practise their beliefs, observe their beliefs,
and organise for their beliefs. We fight against islamophobia* and
antisemitism*, and condemn any kind of discrimination and hate speech against
people based on their religion. We believe in a pluralistic society built on
dialogue. The right to religious freedom and the right to practise religion
freely must be protected under national and European law. We oppose the idea
that religion is by nature a divisive issue and a source of tensions, and that
people should hide their religious beliefs or feel ashamed of them.
We stand for a secular state* in which there is a separation between religion
and government, and where religious laws are not considered to be above or
outside civil law. We believe states should not give preferential treatment to
any religion or religious persons and organisations over other citizens and
charities as this creates a discriminatory system. Workers should have the right
to celebrate the holidays of their own religion without facing discrimination or
penalisation. The wearing of religious symbols should not be used as a reason to
exclude people from education, work, public services, or public spaces.
f. Cultural and Indigenous Rights
FYEG stands for cultural rights. The colonial, discriminatory and
assimilationist policies in European countries have left national minorities
heavily marginalised and vulnerable. We defend the right of individuals and
communities, including national minorities, to practise and preserve their
cultures, including their languages, religions, art forms, and ways of life.
National minorities must have strong legal protection, sufficient and stable
funding and cultural autonomy in support of their efforts to revitalise, retain
and develop their languages, cultures and ways of life. We support the
implementation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages by all
European states*.
Europe and the European Union must provide support and offer asylum to those
whose cultural rights are being violated elsewhere.