ICFTU ONLINE...
227/981023/DD
Brussels. October 23 1998 (ICFTU OnLine): The ICFTU trade union Women's Committee, demonstrated outside the "Office des Etrangers", Ministry of the Interior, today to show its solidarity with Semira Adamu, the Nigerian asylum seeker who died in September, while being forcibly repatriated by by the Belgian authorities.
Nancy Rich, of the Canadian Labour Congress, Chair of the ICFTU Women's Committee, said during the demonstration "We are shocked and appalled by the treatment of Semira Adamu. We will go from here and speak to our own governments and demand human treatment of all refugees and stress that violence against women is an acceptable reason for granting political asylum - and we will fight to get it."
The ICFTU Women's Committee which is meeting in Brussels this week, and brings together women representatives of unions round the world, decided that it was important to physically show their support for Semira Adamu.
In 1997, Belgium carried out 3,863 repatriations, 295 of which took place "exceptionally" under escort by the gendarmerie, as in the case of Sémira.
In September, the ICFTU Women's Committee sent a message of protest to Prime Minister Jean Luc Dehaene and to Interior Minister Louis Tobback demanding an inquiry into the exact circumstances of the young woman's death, and demanding "severe sanctions against those responsible for these reprehensible acts".
The ICFTU Women's Committee meets twice yearly to plan strategy on improve the position of women workers. The next ICFTU World Women's Conference will be held in Brazil in May 1999.
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
Boulevard Emile Jacqmain 155, B - 1210 Brussels, Belgium. For more information
please contact: Luc Demaret on: 00 322 224 0212 - press@icftu.org