Elena Valenciano on human rights: 'The EU has to set an example'

What is the human rights subcommittee's main mission?Its main mission is the defence of human rights outside the EU. We analyze the situation of human rights all over the world, in countries marked by torture, the death penalty, a lack of political liberties, human rights breaches and every kind of threat to human dignity. We usually work closely together  with civil society organizations as well as with governments. We call for political prisoners to be freed, we campaign against the recruitment of children for war, against the death penalty or to defend the freedom of the press.

Next year is the European Year for Development and human rights are a vital part of this. How can the human rights subcommittee help to link the two EU policies over the next two years?

Democracy and freedom need to arrive together with development. We need to start better controlling European multinationals in the work they do outside the EU. There are big European corporations active in poor countries that directly or indirectly keep local workers in situations of slavery or semi-slavery. This includes children and women working under unfair and unhealthy conditions. The EU has to set an example and European companies cannot work in this way.

This year the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was awarded to Dr  Denis Mukwege for helping the victims of sexual abuse during armed conflicts. What other urgent human rights issues need to be highlighted?There is so much to be done that it is difficult to say where to start. In my opinion everything is linked to dignity and dignity starts with the right to life and the physical integrity. Without this, there is nothing. There are still millions of human beings for whom the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a utopia. What is self-evident for us, is not obvious at all for millions of people and, among them, I consider women and girls to be the most vulnerable of all.