against Women

Twentieth session

Summary record of the 415th meeting

Held at Headquarters, New York, on Thursday, 28 January 1999, at 10.20 a.m.

Chairperson: Ms. González

Contents

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention (continued)

Combined second and third periodic reports of Greece

The meeting was called to order at 10.40 a.m.

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention (continued)

Combined second and third periodic reports of Greece (CEDAW/C/GRC/2-3, CEDAW/E/1999/I/CRP.1/Add.3)

1.At the invitation of the Chairperson, Ms. Karali-Dimitriadi, Ms. Sarri, Ms. Pazioti and Ms. Zervou (Greece) took places at the Committee table.

2.Ms. Karali-Dimitriadi (Greece) said that, as a State member of the European Union, Greece fully endorsed all actions promoting equal opportunity for men and women in employment, development, social, economic and political life. The profound changes which had occurred in Greece during the 1980s had been the result of the mobilization of a strong and widely based women’s movement, which unfortunately had lost some of its strength in recent times. Almost all indicators of women’s participation in Greek society had improved, but despite the strengthening of women’s position, gender inequality persisted. Men continued to hold the majority of positions of authority and were the decision makers. Equality policies since 1994 were aimed at reducing inequalities and eradicating their causes. The change in existing attitudes regarding gender roles within the family, at work, in politics and social life was one of the main priorities of the new phase of the strategy. Emphasis was also given to the development of specific support mechanisms in order to enhance the implementation of such policies.

3.Since the 1980s, significant legislative and institutional changes ensured equality between men and women, including revision of family law and the adoption of new legislation abolishing discrimination in access to education, vocational training and employment. The current legislative framework in Greece was considered one of the most progressive in the world. Women in Greece had also made decisive steps forward in their participation in the labour market. Even the high rates of women’s unemployment indicated their will to work and be independent. For the first time, in the National Collective Labour Contract of 1993, the principle of gender equality was officially recognized. Since that time, there had been major positive changes in the employment of women, as the statistical information contained in the report would indicate.

4.Combating violence against women was the top priority of the General Secretariat for Equality for the period 1997-2000. Thus far, there had not been any systematic scientific research into any of the forms of violence against women. With the exception of some isolated studies, the lack of data made it very difficult to assess the extent of that phenomenon. Forced prostitution and trafficking of women, many of whom were illegal immigrants and refugees, had become a major problem in Greece. A new policy had recently been adopted by the Government to legalize immigrants under certain conditions and provide them with residence and work permits. New units for battered women and victims of violence had been established with the Research Centre for Equality Matters as well. The relevant ministries and authorities were coordinating their efforts and cooperating with women’s non-governmental organizations in campaigns to disseminate information and raise public awareness.

5.In recent years, women had become more active in political life, and their involvement had enhanced their position within political parties; however, the percentage of women in the higher echelons still remained quite small. Although women made up 51 per cent of the electorate, they were under-represented in the Parliament. The number of women in cabinet positions was low; the diplomatic corps, judiciary, and public and professional sectors, however, showed a steady increase in participation by women, even though the highest positions were still dominated by men. The main causes of their limited presence in centres of power and decision-making were the established structures and attitudes of political parties and society as a whole and the gender-based division of the labour market.

6.The General Secretariat for Equality would continue to promote and reinforce gender equality through polices and affirmative action aimed at a more proportional representation of women in political and public life and information and consciousness-raising campaigns aimed at changing attitudes and stereotypes and supporting women candidates. Programmes to train women for positions of responsibility and to give them diversified career options were other objectives.

7.Women suffered health problems related to their economic dependency, experience of violence and social prejudice, which created a negative environment. Thus, all health policies should incorporate the gender dimension and give special priority to women’s health. The right of all Greek women to free health care without discrimination was recognized by the Constitution and applied by law. In all public hospitals throughout the country, women enjoyed the privilege of preventive medical tests. Furthermore, 47 family planning centres and 60 health centres provided advisory support on all women’s health problems. Health care programmes and information campaigns in cooperation with the Ministry of Health were planned to address special problems for women such as abortion among teenagers, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and menopause. There had been a significant decline in the incidence of AIDS among women.

8.The recent political changes in society and the globalization of the economy made it necessary to approach the question of women’s integration in the labour market both quantitatively and qualitatively, as the basis for an effective strategy to promote economic and social cohesion. The General Secretariat for Equality was promoting an Action Plan for the period 1998-2000 with the top priority being the acceptance of an equal opportunity policy and its mainstreaming in all government actions. Women in Greece had reached the point where they would demand that they must be equal and active partners in all socio-economic models of planning and development, in particular at the regional level.

9.Turning to the questions contained in paragraph 3 of document CEDAW/E/1999/I/CRP.1/Add.3, she said that the impact of the Action Plan for Equal Opportunity 1994-1997 had been very positive. It had met basic objectives and targets, taking into account the effects of globalization, the economic transition throughout Europe and Greece’s cohesion plan for full participation in the European Economic and Monetary Union. The Action Plan for 1998-2000 had set as its top priority combating violence against women and promoting women’s equal and active participation in all socio-economic development policies. In answer to question 4, she said that the General Secretariat for Equality had had excellent cooperation from women’s non-governmental organizations and supported them through financing of their programmes and activities. There was also substantial cooperation in the fields of mainstreaming, violence against women, employment, structural policies, labour regulation and social security.

10.In reply to question 5, she said that Greece was facing a major problem with refugees and illegal immigrants, owing to its geographical location and the immense changes in the Eastern European countries and countries with economies in transition. Many of those immigrants were women who became victims of forced prostitution. Greece must concentrate on the development of shelters as well as transnational cooperation to combat trafficking in women. The Social Exclusion Programme funded nationally and by the European Social Fund would make an effective contribution. The General Secretariat had dealt with some individual cases of exploited women and had been able to intervene on their behalf.

11.With regard to question 6 on the Beijing Platform for Action, she said that Greece had adopted it; since most of the issues it contained were linked with those covered by the Convention, the impact of its implementation could be seen from the information provided regarding the Convention.

12.Ms. Sarri (Greece), turning to questions under article 2, said that a number of lawsuits had been filed on gender discrimination issues, particularly regarding violations of article 4 of the Constitution, which stipulated that men and women were equal before the law and had equal rights and responsibilities. Some regulations establishing affirmative action measures for women had been abolished in 1994 on the grounds that they were unconstitutional; in 1998, however, the Council of State had decided that affirmative action was not unconstitutional, taking into consideration the fact that such measures were aimed at the establishment of equality between women and men. Furthermore, European Union directives and the Convention guaranteed such measures.

13.A case had recently been brought to the courts regarding a television campaign launched by the General Secretariart during the local government elections in October 1998 urging the electorate to vote for women candidates. A male candidate had gone to court asking for the campaign to be stopped as a violation of equality for men. All the women’s organizations had mobilized, the General Secretariat had won the case and the campaign had returned to the air.

14.In response to a question about anti-discrimination programmes other than those described in the report, she said that, in cooperation with the General Secretariat for Equality, the Research Centre for Equality had set up the Women’s Employment and Vocational Training Information Unit, which provided consultation and support for women seeking employment or training or wishing to start their own businesses. The Women’s Employment Documentation Unit, established under the same auspices, aimed to assist in the rational planning of action and measures to improve the position of women in the labour market. It was an integrated information system containing data on all issues relating to employment, unemployment and vocational training.

15.In addition, the National Action Plan promoted equality of opportunity in training and employment. More specifically, it aimed to reinforce women’s abilities in the professions and business, strengthen structures of care for children and the elderly to achieve a harmonious combination of professional and family life and develop Information Centres for Women’s Entrepreneurship. Child-care facilities had been improved under law 2525 of 1997, under which 160 kindergartens were to be opened in 1999 and State nursery schools were to remain open later. The “Help at Home” programme was to be extended to people who were not able to take care of themselves.

16.Asked to describe the “obvious discrimination that still exists” (para. 39), she said that sectoral labour contracts still stipulated, for pension reasons, that women should retire earlier than men. On the other hand, the National Collective Labour Contract of 1993 had recognized for the first time the principle of equality between the sexes and representatives of employers and employees had agreed that they should promote equal treatment and equal opportunities. Provision had been agreed for three and a half months, parental leave for each parent, total maternity leave for the duration of 16 weeks, child-care leave, which later could be offered to the father if the working mother did not ask for it, and night work by pregnant women.

17.Regarding the suggestions by the General Secretariat for Equality concerning the improvement of legislative provisions, mentioned in paragraph 46, she said that the General Secretariat had proposed the production of a concise summary of existing legislation relating to women. Any shortcomings could be corrected and Greek law could be harmonized with international legislation. Another improvement would be the modification of article 116, paragraph 2, of the Constitution, which had provided for some exceptions to the principle of equality during a transitional period of adaptation of legislation. The exceptions had been intended to work to women’s advantage, but often they had not done so, and in any case they had become unacceptable. In its revision of the Constitution, Parliament had proposed that article 31, dealing with the qualifications of a President, should specify that nationality could be passed down from the mother as well as from the father.

18.The General Secretariat had also established a committee, with representatives of both governmental and non-governmental bodies, to study the phenomenon of violence against women. The committee recorded all forms of violence and was preparing a bill on the formal categorization of crimes. The General Secretariat was also planning to upgrade its current structure of support for battered women by, setting up, together with the Research Centre for Equality Matters, five new Support and Protection Units for women victims of violence in Athens and four other towns.

19.To sensitize public opinion, the General Secretariat had organized a tour to four prefectures in 1998. Television spots relating to Women’s Day were, as social messages, broadcast on all television channels. The General Secretariat also gave financial support to organizations operating programmes under the European Union initiative against violence. In addition, it had with others, organized a seminar to make police officers and students of the Police Academy aware of the issues of violence and traffic in women. It had also conducted programmes for teachers at every level to make them more aware of gender issues.

20.With regard to the outcome of the social dialogue described in paragraph 168, she said that it had resulted in a new social dialogue, beginning in 1997, between the Government and the social partners, with the participation of women’s non-governmental organizations. The themes for discussion had been structural policies for development, policies for the encouragement of competitiveness and employment, regulation of forms of labour and social protection and social security. The views put forward by the General Secretariat and the women’s organizations had influenced national policies.

21.Ms. Pazioti (Greece), discussing policies or legislation to address offensive or stereotypical images of women in the media, said that the General Secretariat tried, through the mass media, to inform the public about institutional changes in the area of equality, to make people sensitive to equality issues and to promote the participation of women in all sectors of social life. Greek women journalists were particularly active in promoting such policies. A radio station in central Greece had a programme specifically dealing with equality issues, which it was hoped would lead to others. Other relevant legislation was law 1730 of 1987, article 3 of which stipulated that Greek public television could refuse the transmission of any commercial opposed to the principle of respect for women. Article 4 of the Code of Ethics of Radio and Television Commercials, published in 1991, contained a similar provision. Presidential Decree 236 of 1992, provided that television commercials should not contain instances of gender discrimination; and that programmes that might seriously prejudice the physical, mental or ethical development of minors or that contained pornographic or violent scenes should not be transmitted. There should be no incitement to hatred on the grounds of race, sex, religion or nationality. A commercial that was offensive to morals was prohibited and considered unfair advertising.

22.With regard to legislation and policies relating to violence against women, she said that no systematic research had yet been conducted. The General Secretariat had therefore invited the Research Centre for Equality Matters to carry out such research, with the aid of a committee comprising representatives of the General Secretariat, professors, women trade unionists and representatives of the Ministries for Internal Affairs, Justice and Public Order and of women’s organizations. The committee would study the existing legislative and structural framework and make suggestions for its improvement. On the specific question relating to marital rape, such rape was not considered to be in a category of its own. It might, however, be possible — although a legal precedent had not yet been set — to base a prosecution on the act of coercion, indecent assault with physical violence or the threat of serious danger. Psychological violence also did not yet constitute an offence.

23.There was a serious shortage of services to which women victims of violence could turn for help. Apart from the Centre for Battered Women in Athens, which had been in operation since 1988, and the planned Support and Protection Units, the only refuge for battered women was public hospitals, health centres and mental health centres, which were not adequately staffed for such purposes. Women’s organizations had, however, stepped in and were beginning to offer free services to women victims of violence; an SOS line run by women had been in operation since 1992, offering legal and psychological support. Since 1997 a “Women’s Rights Watch” and a complaints office had been established. Women’s organizations throughout the country informed immigrants about sexual exploitation and violence.

24.With regard to sexual harassment at work, she said that Greek legislation provided protection to women through specific laws or through the Civil or Penal Codes. If an employer abused his position or performed illegal or immoral acts, the person offended could claim indemnity. If the behaviour forced the woman to resign — which constituted indirect gender discrimination — she was entitled to claim her wages until the employer paid compensation. If a civil servant attempted an indecent assault on a subordinate, he was liable to a minimum of one year’s imprisonment. No corresponding provision existed for the private sector.

25.Other offences, including threats, extortion or mental or psychological violence, were all covered by legislation. The difficulty was that the victim was required to bring charges. In the case of rape, however, the Public Prosecutor was obliged to bring charges automatically. The General Secretariat recognized that women were not adequately protected, particularly in the private sector. It therefore considered that legislation dealing specifically with sexual harassment should be introduced and urged women to denounce incidents of such harassment. Cases had been successfully brought, citing such incidents, in 1997 and 1998.

26.Ms. Sarri (Greece), in reply to a question concerning the incidence of paedophilia, said that the Penal Code covered the crimes of seduction of a minor, indecent assault on minors, incest, debauchery among relatives and anal sex. In 1995, 14 men had been convicted of the first, two of the third and two of the last. It was probably the “tip of the iceberg”, but there were no official data. Since such crimes were considered taboo, a victim might well hesitate to report them even within the family. The General Secretariat for Youth had, therefore, in cooperation with Greek human rights organizations, launched a campaign on television to warn young children — largely through the medium of cartoons — about the dangers they might face from pederasts.

27.With reference to question 15, she said that article 14 of the Constitution guaranteed the freedom of the press and prohibited censorship of any kind. Confiscation was permitted only in the case of printed matter which contained indecent material, as defined by the law. With regard to pornographic pictures of children, the Penal Code contained provisions relating to the exploitation of minors for profit. In addition, offering indecent material to persons under the age of 18 was punishable by a custodial sentence, and it was an offence to admit a minor to a cinema to see a film that was deemed inappropriate for his or her age group.

28.Ms. Karali-Dimitriadi (Greece), replying to questions 16 and 17 (art. 6), said that the increasing flows of immigrants from the countries of Eastern Europe had led to the growing incidence of trafficking in women and girls. In order to address the problem, the General Secretariat for Equality intended to expand its support services for victims of forced prostitution, which would be available 24 hours a day. It was also developing a pilot programme to be launched in Thessaloniki in northern Greece, which had been identified as a transit point for the traffic in women. Within the framework of the programme, it intended to establish a research centre, a telephone helpline and a shelter for women and their children. Measures to combat trafficking included the deployment of border guards; the distribution of pamphlets in border areas, as well as in Greece and the countries of origin; cooperation with the authorities of those countries; and protection of the victims with a view to bringing traffickers to trial.

29.While prostitution was not criminalized, it was regulated under the law on protection from venereal diseases, which required that all prostitutes’ who must be over 21 years of age, should register with the police, undergo a medical examination twice weekly and take out health insurance. The sexual exploitation of women was punishable by a custodial sentence or a fine.

30.Turning to the questions posed under article 7, she said, in connection with questions 18 and 19, that the Interparty Women’s Committee in Parliament met only on an ad hoc basis to examine important issues. A non-governmental organization, the Women’s Political Association, had been established to encourage participation by women in politics through training and lobbying. Most political parties had introduced internal quotas, which had increased women’s representation in central committees and other party bodies.

31.With reference to question 20, the procedures for the appointment and promotion of judges were defined in the Constitution. The number of women judges serving in the civil and criminal courts of appeal had increased from 8.9 per cent in 1994 to 16.2 per cent in 1997, while the number serving as presidents of courts of first instance had almost doubled during the same period to 40.88 per cent. Since women’s admission to the judiciary had occurred only recently and promotion was linked to seniority, there would be more women in senior posts in the future. With regard to question 21 on women’s admission to military schools, the Supreme Court had ruled that while special temporary measures aimed at achieving de facto equality between men and women were permissible, quotas aimed at restricting women’s participation in certain professions were unconstitutional. The results of entrance examinations to the police force had been cancelled because the quota for women had not been met.

32.Responding to the questions posed under article 8, she said, in connection with question 22, that the difficulty of combining professional and family obligations, together with the frequent travel involved, might deter women from joining the foreign service or applying for work in international organizations. However, there had been a gradual increase in women’s participation in those areas. With respect to question 23, she said that the Women’s Political Association was campaigning, together with other non-governmental organizations and the women’s sections of the political parties, to increase women’s representation in the European Parliament. They wished to ensure, in particular, that women were not merely included in party lists, but were among the candidates elected through the introduction of so-called “one man-one woman” lists.

33.Turning to question 24 on education (art. 10), she said that her Government’s literacy programmes focused in particular on women in rural areas. Other target groups included repatriates, immigrants and refugees. Efforts were being made to eliminate stereotypes with respect to the choice of profession, and already the number of girls attending technical schools was increasing: they had accounted for 18.2 per cent of students in 1998, compared with 10.2 per cent in 1994. The revision of school textbooks and syllabuses to eliminate gender stereotypes was under way, while the General Secretariat for Equality, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, had organized training programmes to sensitize teachers to gender issues in education.

34.Ms. Zervou (Greece), replying to question 25 (article 11), said that the increase in the number of women employed in the service sector and the decline in the number of women employed in agriculture and industry in the period from 1985 to 1993 was not due to the lack of vocational training available to women, but to a number of factors, including the mechanization of agriculture and the introduction of new technologies in industry, which had led to job losses in those sectors, together with the emergence of new occupations in the service sector. Moreover, in the period from 1993 to 1996, the trend towards the redistribution of female employment had slowed, with women’s employment rising by 2.7 per cent in the service sector and falling by 1.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent in agriculture and industry respectively. With regard to training, in 1997 40 per cent of women beneficiaries had opted for courses leading to work in industry, and only 37 per cent for training oriented towards service-sector jobs.

35.With regard to question 26, she said that almost 175,000 women, representing 44.3 per cent of beneficiaries, had participated in training and other programmes, including those financed by the European Social Fund which had reduced the inequalities in women’s employment by improving their vocational qualifications, creating new jobs and promoting self-employment and women’s business activities. During the period from 1993 to 1996, 73 per cent of new jobs created had been occupied by women, and in 1997 the rate of unemployment among women had fallen by 0.7 per cent, the first such reduction since 1981, although it remained high at almost 16 per cent.

36.Her Government had also implemented a programme to combat economic and social exclusion. The target groups were persons with physical or mental disabilities (subprogramme 1); members of religious or cultural minorities (subprogramme 2); and ex-offenders, single parents, residents of remote mountain or island areas, gypsies, Pomaki and recovered substance abusers (subprogramme 3). Statistics for the period 1994 to 1997 showed that while overall more men than women had benefited from the programme, women’s participation was increasing. Thus, by 1996, more than two thirds of the beneficiaries of subprogramme 2 had been women, although men had continued to account for the majority of participants in subprogramme 1, despite the fact that women with mental or physical disabilities often experienced a double stigmatization when they attempted to enter the labour market.

37.With regard to subprogramme 3, almost 52 per cent of beneficiaries had been women, although the distribution of beneficiaries by gender varied according to the target group. Thus, initiatives aimed at single parents had largely benefited women, whereas participation by men had been higher in projects for ex-offenders and recovered substance abusers. The trends identified in 1996 had been maintained in 1997.

38.Under the New Opportunities for Women initiative, 29 activities had been carried out during the reporting period, and 735 women had gained adequate qualifications to enter the labour market. The women who had participated included unemployed women, inhabitants of remote areas, graduates of universities and technological institutes, and women working in family enterprises.

39.By the year 2000, measures would be taken to ensure the equal distribution of resources and investment, establish 100 children’s centres and day nurseries, and provide information to women through the press and the Internet regarding training programmes in technology.

40.On question 27, she said that her Government required the incorporation of new technology into every investment project it subsidized, in all economic sectors. The number of women employed in the new technologies industries had increased significantly from 1993 to 1996. As to question 28, she said that the integrated information system of the Women’s Employment Documentation Unit had become operational but was still being upgraded. New databases were being included in order to monitor all indicators of gender development. The General Secretariat for Equality used information from the system for its policy planning. About 25,000 users per year took advantage of the services of the unit via the Internet.

41.Ms. Karali-Dimitriadi (Greece) said, with regard to question 29, that judgements 1360/92 and 79/93 of the Supreme Court accorded with the relevant directives of the European Union; they provided that job advertisements should not specify the gender of the applicants, and that appointments should be based on merit, regardless of gender. Greek legislation on gender equality was implemented by the courts, especially the Supreme Court and the Council of State.

42.Ms. Zervou (Greece) said, with regard to question 30, that her Government had mainstreamed equality issues in the National Action Plan for Employment for the year 1999, and had taken measures to assist women entrepreneurs. Child-care facilities had been improved in order to facilitate the participation of women in the labour force. There were information and advisory services for women returnees to the labour market, and greater flexibility of working hours was being promoted.

43.Turning to question 31, she said that the special temporary measures to deal with women’s unemployment included the promotion of employment and self-employment, the development of information and advisory structures, and the development of infrastructure for the support of working parents. Two special measures had been introduced: the subsidy paid to an employer for employing an unemployed woman was higher than that for employing a man, and the subsidy provided to unemployed persons to start a new business was higher for women entrepreneurs than for men. The 1996 subprogramme for combating exclusion from the labour market accorded priority to the creation of small and medium-sized enterprises in remote areas; 71 per cent of the beneficiaries were women.

44.On question 32, she said that the National Statistics Service of Greece had carried out a detailed pilot survey on time use, which had included a special questionnaire on time use in the home. That data would be analysed in order to quantify unpaid household work of women. As to question 33, Greek law and collective agreements provided for equal pay for work of equal value. The reasons for the disparity in earnings were therefore linked to social and political inequality.

45.Ms. Pazioti (Greece) said, with regard to question 34, that the Economic and Social Committee was a political mechanism which ensured the input of social partners into government policies and legislation. The women’s group of the Economic and Social Committee would be set up in January 1999 and its first meeting would be held on 22 January 1999. On question 35, women’s committees within trade unions had opened the public debate on equal pay for work of equal value. The federation of workers in tourism and hotels was endeavouring to reduce the wage gap through collective agreement.

46.With regard to question 36, under law 2519/97 on the development and modernization of the national health system, emphasis was being given to prevention and elementary health care provided by networks of health centres. There was a pilot programme against women’s cancer in eastern Macedonia and Thrace, and anti-cancer programmes had also been implemented by women’s non-governmental organizations and by medical associations. Specific population groups like gypsies and refugees received elementary health services from health centres all over Greece. As to data in the field of health, a number of scientific reports and dissertations had been published covering all aspects of health in Greece. The Research Centre for Equality Matters would coordinate the collection and dissemination of data.

47.With regard to question 37, she said that there was no discrimination based on gender in the health section of the national budget. The budget of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare was distributed according to the needs of the population. On question 38, the General Secretariat for Equality was considering a proposal for the modification of law 1609/86, which legalized abortion before the twelfth week of pregnancy, to remove the requirement of parental consent for minors. There was also a proposal for sex and health education in schools. Advisory and information centres provided teenagers with information on contraception and sexually transmitted diseases.

48.With regard to question 39, there was equal gender representation in national sports programmes, and at least 20 per cent of the elected members of the boards of the sports federations for sports in which both genders participated were women. Women’s federations specializing in boxing, wrestling and weightlifting had been established. On question 40, she said that under a national labour contract of 1989, working women had been granted a family allowance under the same conditions as men. Law 1849/89 made provision for family allowances for single, widowed and divorced mothers. On question 41, married women had full access to bank loans, mortgages and other forms of financial credit provided by both public and private institutions; moreover, the income of the spouses was taxed separately and married women had full power over their property. Women who felt that their rights had been violated could apply to the courts. On question 42, she said that basic services such as roads, water supply and telecommunications were adequate for rural women, even in the most remote areas.

49.Ms. Karali-Dimitriadi (Greece) said, with regard to question 43, that rural women faced a number of problems when they decided to enter the labour market. The General Secretariat for Equality encouraged the establishment of women’s agro-tourist cooperatives with a view to the creation of new jobs at the local level. In 1997, a consortium of women’s cooperatives had been created. The cooperatives had achieved positive results not only for women themselves but also for the whole local population. Women gained economic independence, participated in social life and created new jobs.

50.With regard to question 44, she said that cohabitation was not regulated under Greek law. Under law 1329/83 for the modernization of family law, an unmarried mother had custody of her child without recourse to the courts. Children born outside wedlock had the same inheritance rights as children born to married parents.

The meeting rose at 1 p.m.