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Families are under attack in Lithuania, and we need your help!
May 20, 2008, Vilnius

The Lithuanian Parliament is currently weighing an unprecedented bill that would legally redefine the concept of family and that would establish a government-sanctioned concept of family limited exclusively to the traditional notion of a married man and woman and their children. With the stroke of a pen, this new concept of the Lithuanian family would relegate other family forms-single mothers and fathers raising children, unmarried
partners raising children, and grandparents caring for their grandchildren-to second-class status.

Demographic analysis demonstrates that the structure of the Lithuanian family is changing. In 2005, almost a third of all children were born to unmarried parents living as partners. The same year, the number of divorces per 100 marriages hit 56. This is evidence of the growing number of single parents, who in 98 percent of cases are women. Until recently, high unemployment in Lithuania also encouraged migration, and half of all workers who emigrated in 2005 were married men or women. As a result a new family structure-the long-distance family-emerged. A poll conducted in 2006 showed that all these different family forms are considered as families by a majority of Lithuanians. However, the new concept of family would have practical implications, as it could ostensibly be used to prevent nontraditional families from receiving the same level of government assistance and from benefiting from government programs meant to support and
strengthen the family.

This bill, the first of its kind in Europe, has been applauded as a breakthrough by the Catholic Church and conservative politicians. While today this situation is confined to Lithuania, it could only be a matter of time before other European countries become receptive to such simple-minded and seemingly harmless, yet erroneous and discriminatory, attempts to destroy families under the guise of strengthening them.

The situation is critical, and domestic groups are increasingly being sidelined from the discussion. Therefore, we ask you today to urgently communicate with Lithuanian government and Parliament officials to express your concern about the State Family Political Concept bill currently under debate in the Parliament and to remind the government of its commitment-made domestically and internationally-to protect women, children and families in all forms.

Attached we suggest some language for your letter. Please feel free to incorporate any of these paragraphs or your own thoughts in your message and send letters to:
. Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament Ceslovas Jursenas
ADDRESS: Ceslovas.Jursenas _at_ lrs.lt
. Rima Baskiene, Chair of the Commission of Family affairs and child,
ADDRESS: rima.baskiene _at_ lrs.lt
. Valdas Adamkus, President of Lithuania
ADDRESS: ramunas.vilpisauskas _at_ prezidentas.lt
. Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas
ADDRESS: mp.sekretore _at_ lrvk.lt

We would also appreciate if you send a copy of your letter to the address of Center for Equality Advancement : info _at_ gap.lt

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!

Virginija Aleksejune
Director
On behalf of Center for Equality Advancement
Raugyklos str. 15-201, Vilnius, Lithuania
+370-5 2335380

APPEAL TO STOP DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN IN LITHUANIA

Date

We, (name of the organization, country) as part of the international community, express our grave concern about the State Family Political Concept law, which defines the family in a very narrow manner, confining it only to families based on a married man and woman. Moreover, the warning signals from the Parliament to prohibit legal abortion in Lithuania make us express our concerns about violation of women’s rights and freedoms.
The Republic of Lithuania—in ratifying the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, the E.U. Convention on Human Rights, and E.U. Social Rights Charter—assumed a duty with the international community to protect children and women against discrimination, regardless of their social situation and status and to protect families, regardless of marital status of the family members.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes that Lithuania must guarantee the same rights for every child, forbid discrimination on any grounds, and use every means necessary to ensure that children will be protected from discrimination or punishment stemming from their parents' or families' status, activities, opinions or beliefs. Moreover, the European Social Charter establishes that the Lithuanian government has the responsibility to provide social protection and other support to families. This duty to defend the family also includes the duty to defend families that are not based on the traditional family structure of a married man and woman. The European Council has explicitly stated that the Charter encompasses a wide concept of family, one which includes single parents and other individuals living together
A democratic state must enact policies that guarantee each citizen's welfare and that respect every citizen's rights to privacy. Government assistance cannot be applied selectively, privileging only one type of family group, as this goes against all democratic principles and reinforces discrimination and social exclusion. Creating a privileged family structure based on a married man and woman would undermine a number of national laws as well international treaties to which Lithuania is party..
Therefore, we write you today to ask you to vote against this punitive and discriminatory law, as approval of this law by the Parliament would severely infringe upon human rights, freedom and democratic values in Lithuania.
Name, signature