Participation of the General Secretary of Gender Equality Ms Vasso Kollia in Beijing +20 Regional Review Meeting (6-7.11.2014)

In the Beijing +20 Regional Review Meeting which took place in Geneva (6-7 November 2014) Greece  was represented by the General Secretary of Gender Equality Ms Vasso Kollia, who made a statement regarding the Violence against Women and Girls emphasizing the need to prevent all forms of violenceagainst women and reaffirmed her commitment to systematically combat the derogatory stereotypes which present as "natural duty" of women to suffer discomfort and humiliation. She expressed her deep regret regarding the fact that sexism and degradation of women continuous to be present today in everyday life in all societies, in all areas of life, in the language of advertising, in the upbringing of children, the marketing strategies of toy and publishing industries discriminating between toys and books, even in the school playground and in the classroom, with the implicit encouragement of students to opt for "girls" and boys" subjects and later careers.

This important meeting proved to be a great success with the wide participation of more than 465 participants.