II SÉRIE-D — NÚMERO 29

6

A segunda intervenção teve a ver com uma proposta da deputada italiana Edera Spadoni, sobre a criação

de um observatório europeu da violência contra as mulheres. Chamei a atenção para a falta de dados

estatísticos disponíveis e comparáveis, pelo que o assunto ficou de voltar a ser tratado posteriormente.

Fui nomeado relator para elaborar um relatório sobre a temática “Promoting best practices in tackling

violence against women”.

Seguidamente, fiz uma intervenção no Plenário, no debate do relatório ELZINGA (Doc. 13513), sobre o

tema “Challenges for the Council of Europe Development Bank”, no qual participou o Governador Rolf Wenzel,

e cujo texto integral figura no Anexo B do presente relatório. Fiz, ainda, seis intervenções em defesa de

propostas de alteração à proposta de resolução do relator, três das quais mereceram acolhimento.

Ao logo de toda a semana participei em 9 sessões plenárias.

Assembleia da República, 28 de Junho de 2014.

O Deputado do PSD, José Mendes Bota.

ANEXO A

Speech by Mr. Mendes Bota, on the debate of report GALE (Doc.13509), about “Violence in and

through the media”

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Strasbourg 24th

June 2014

Mister President, Dear Colleagues,

Do you recall the Blacksburg school massacre, in the United States? 2007. 32 young people murdered. And

the one in Dunblane, Scotland? 1996. 16 children dead. And that of Erfurt, in Germany? 2002. 16 people killed.

In Germany still. Winnenden. 2009. 15 victims. And Columbine, yet again in the United States? 15 dead,

among students and teachers. And Sandyhook, Newtown, USA, 2012. 20 children killed.

The list goes on endlessly and crosses every continent in the world. But there is a common trace these

massacres perpetrated in universities and high schools share. Their authors were young people particularly

attracted to extremely violent movies and videogames.

What motivates these killers to walk in there shooting randomly, leaving behind a trail of death, mourning,

pain and blood, splattered all over walls and ground? What goes on inside their minds?

For decades now scientific studies have been made about the phenomenon of violence and the motivations

of the perpetrators. The wide majority of this investigation points to a close connection between the

overexposure to violent tv contents and a sickening use of computer games and the surge in violent behavior

among children and young people.

The chances of them becoming woman abusers is also high. It is no exclusive to any race or social class.

The bibliography backing this fact is vast.

But what is astonishing, or perhaps not, is the governments’ inertia in tackling this problem that undermines

the pilars of society. They have learned nothing from the issue of tobacco, to which they failed to react in time,

despite certainties regarding the damage and the human and financial costs behind this addiction.

There are powerful interests in place, from the economic empires who exploit violence in tv entertainment

and videogame productions, and who also exploit violent pornography, from which women and children aren’t

immune, main victims as they are of heinous crimes that jeopardyze not only their physical and mental integrity,

but especially their human dignity.

One may wonder: does the media only reflect real violence from the outside world, or do they stimulate and

contribute for it?