Karine HENROTTE-FORSBERG

Présidente de l'association européenne
" Femmes Diplômées des Universités "
et citoyenne d'Europe

Un père suédois, une mère finnoise, un mari français, Karine HENROTTE-FORSBERG partage son temps entre Bruxelles et Vienne.
 

CR de ses activités en 2001/2002

Pour en savoir plus     karine.henrotte@skynet.be           Responsabilité actuelle Une femme engagée Un parcours international Formation   Sur la photo (juin 2001) Karine HENROTTE-FORSBERG (en bleu) est face à la Présidente  des Femmes Diplômées des Universités de Hongrie

Comme Présidente du Groupement Européen des Femmes Diplômées des Universités (GEFDU), ou University Women of Europe (UWE), elle vient de présider la conférence annuelle de cette association, à Budapest du 15 au 18 juin 2001 (120 participantes, et 13 nationalités).

L'Europe est l'un des continents représenté à la Fédération Internationale des Femmes Diplômées des Universités (FIFDU ou IFUW en anglais), fondée dès 1921 à Londres par des Femmes du Royaume-Uni, du Canada et des Etats-Unis. Forte de 180.000 membres et de 71 associations nationales, dont l'association française (AFFDU).

Une femme engagée
 

Elle se définit comme une militante à trois niveaux :

• Au niveau local
  Dans sa commune, en Belgique, depuis 10 ans, inlassablement, elle "cherche à changer les choses".

  Membre de l'association "Le Conseil des Femmes Francophones de Belgique" à Bruxelles, elle a fondé une nouvelle section du CFFB dans son arrondissement de Verviers, qui compte une vingtaine de communes. Karine a mis un point d'honneur à acquérir rapidement une autonomie financière pour cette section.

  Dans le cadre de la "Marche Mondiale des Femmes 2000", contre la violence et la pauvreté, elle a participé à la marche, d'abord locale avec environ 350 femmes à Verviers. Ensuite, à la marche régionale depuis la frontière allemande jusqu'à la ville de Trooz. Puis à la marche nationale à Bruxelles.

  Enfin, elle a réussi à emmener une délégation de femmes à New York. L'une d'entre elles, artiste au RMI, a trouvé une grande inspiration et a peint sur place.

    À l'occasion de cette marche 2000, Karine HENROTTE avait deux objectifs concrets :
   

   1) Créer une commission consultative des femmes au Conseil Communal de Verviers. Objectif atteint. L'accord a été passé et approuvé par le Conseil Communal de Verviers en avril 2001. Le CFFB Verviers en est membre de droit.

   2) Créer une Maison de l'égalité des Chances à Verviers, projet actuellement en cours avec la commune. Elle sera, si tout va bien, achevée fin 2003.

  
  

• Au niveau national
  
  Elle veut rendre toutes les femmes plus visibles et réellement présentes lors des prises de décision. Elle souhaite que les femmes diplômées des universités soient plus nombreuses dans les domaines scientifiques. Il lui semble indispensable d'affirmer une politique de " mainstreaming ", et des jurys pour augmenter la sensibilité aux projets des femmes.

   Dans le domaine social, pour marquer son désaccord contre la proposition de légaliser la prostitution en Belgique, Karine a emmené des parlementaires belges en Suède. Ceci pour étudier la nouvelle loi suédoise contre la violence, Kvinno-fridslagstiftningen (Paix des dames). Après ce voyage d'étude, une commission a été créée au Sénat belge qui a donné le jour au Manifeste " Le Corps n'est pas une marchandise ". Elle est l'une des 40 personnalités belges signataires de ce Manifeste.

   

• Au niveau européen
  
  Sa passion pour la mobilité européenne l'amène à défendre les expatriés suédois au sein de la Fédération "Les Européens dans le Monde" (Euromonde) à Bruxelles.
  Une première " Charte des Expatriés européens " est en cours de préparation et sera discutée en février 2002 à Thessaloniki, en Grèce.

  À la demande de l'Institut Suédois et de l'Ambassade de Suède en Belgique, elle a été chargée d'organiser la conférence sur "le rôle des pères dans l'égalité des chances". Ceci dans le cadre de la Présidence suédoise à l'Union européenne, en avril 2001 (voir le journal "La Libre Belgique").
   

  ---

Une formation en Sciences Politique !

 

Quand elle était adolescente, en Suède, son père lui suggérait d'être professeur ou infirmière.

Mais son désir de mieux comprendre le monde extérieur la pousse à étudier les Sciences politiques et les Langues. En 1970, pour approfondir les Sciences Politiques, elle vient à Paris. Là, dit-elle, elle reçoit un véritable " choc culturel ". Les cours lui semblent très conventionnels, alors qu'elle avait l'habitude de discuter et de remettre les points de vue en question.

Elle a passé un an aux Etats-Unis avec une bourse de "l'American Field Service".

Dès 1972 (à l'âge de 20 ans), on lui demande de participer à l'Ecole d'été de la WFUNA (World Federation of United Nations) à Chypre. Puis à Genève, comme observateur à la Conférence du désarmement à l'ONU.

Elle fait une spécialisation en Suisse et en Grande-Bretagne.

Elle a vécu 5 ans au Danemark, 9 ans en tout en France. Elle est basée en Belgique depuis 10 ans.

Parlant suédois, anglais, français, allemand, et les langues nordiques, elle met ses compétences, son efficacité et son dynamisme souriant au service de l'Europe, des femmes et de la justice.

Elle aime plus que tout que les projets concrets aboutissent.

 

 Une femme à suivre !

Heusy, January 25, 2002. Dear Colleagues and friends,

Let me start this Winter Newsletter by wishing you all a very happy and rewarding New Year 2002. May it be a year with better prospects for peace than the year that just ended. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank for all the many warm greetings I have received from so many federations and that have meant so much to me. Thank you all for your great support.

I have had quite a busy autumn since I last wrote to you. Many interesting meetings with various european federations and many fruitful discussions with members as well as exchanges with people at the european and international level. Following a very fruitful discussion in Ottawa on how to encourage regional cooperation and thus create closer links between associations from the same part of Europe, I was invited by the Swedish association KAF (University Women) in Stockholm in October, 2001 to a very well arranged meeting by the Swedish CIR Ms. Ingegerd HAGLUND. Shortly after I also met with representatives from the Norwegian association (University Women), Ms Katrine ORE and Ms Anne TURNER, in Oslo to discuss the possibility to encourage cooperation between the Nordic associations. It would be very constructive if this Nordic cooperation could also reach out to the Baltic countries and include them in this dialogue. I firmly believe that this strengthening of regional work is the best way to get new people interested to become members. UWE can thus contribute to strengthen the IFUW image but UWE (University Women in Europe) must then also in return get the recognition and visibility from the international federation e.g. at international IFUW meetings where our work so far is not often mentionned.

In October I also attended the "Joint Expert Meeting Nordic Council of Ministers/Council of Europe" in Strasbourg on the topic of New Social Demands and Governance. One of the important questions raised was: What are the mechanisms by which people can introduce a new issue on to the social agenda of a government, and what are the mechanisms used by a government to detect new social demands? Is a partnership between the public sector, the private sector and the civil society an answer to better governance and a response to new social demands and what role should the local level play? Above all social justice has to become an ingredient for people to live in dignity.

On October 22, I attended the ITech Women international conference "Meeting Tomorrow" at Vienna City Hall. A very interesting approach to women and computer science. Many international studies show that girls and women are avoiding high-technology careers not because they fear failing, but because they believe computer jobs are boring and lonely.This is the outcome of a report of a two-year study conducted by prominent researchers and paid for by the "AAUW Educational Foundation", an affiliate of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). What are the right types of work in the future and how do older women react and integrate, were some of the important questions raised in Vienna and it is quite clear that the evolution of technology will determine the roles of women and men in the future.

From Austria I left for Armenia where I attended the international conference "Dialogue among Civilizations: Democracy and Peace"between October 25 to 28 in Tsakhkadzor, about 40 km from Yerevan, which was very well organized by Jemma Hasratian the President of the "Armenian Association of Women" with University Education and the Center for Democracy and Peace. I delivered a speech on the "Impact of the globalization processes on the role and place of women in society": keeping women away from decision-making processes and I was very impressed by the the quality of debate as well as the genuine hospitality I received during these most interesting days.

Beginning of November I had the pleasure to introduce Ms. Nadejda STOICA from the Moldavian association of University Women to the Council of Europe at the Joint NGO/ Parliamentarian Conference in Strasbourg "Citizenship, solidarity: What sort of Europe do we want?" Her participation was of a great standard and appreciated by many participants and she thus gave a very good image of UWE.

Together with Mr. Lars Bäck from the Swedish Government I also in November presented the ideological aspect of our new prostitution law in Sweden at the conference organized by Conseil de l'Egalité des Chances during the Belgian Presidency to the European Union. Our texts were highly demanded to be put on internet. As I did mention in my last Newsletter there is a a debate in Belgium whether to legalize prostitution or not. Two Belgian senators who were part of my delegation to Sweden in 1999 have put forward a law proposition in Belgium which follows the Swedish model, penalizing the client as from January 1, 1999. Those for a legalization have put forward a counter proposition.

I also attended the "Gender and Research Conference" at the European Commission. As I mentionned in my earlier Newsletter, I had ordered a stand and had invited you all associations to send me material to display on past or present activities in order to gain european visibility. I must congratulate Ms. Francesca Di Caprio Francia from the italian federation FILDIS for her prompt reply to send me information material and which was distributed to interested visitors.

Mid November I participated in a "Conference on Violence" at Unesco in Paris. I had the occasion to meet with Ms. Nicole FOUCHÉ from AFFDU, the French association who has made an excellent study on violence in the school environment. If members from other associations are interested to work on this topic I would recommend them to get in touch with her.

On November 23 I left for Timisoara, Roumania invited by the President of the Timisoara branch (University Women in Roumania) , Ms. Augusta ANCA, to visit Tibiscus University. This university today has more than 4000 students and is a multi-disciplined faculty. I was greatly impressed by what she has been able to do in such a short time. To quote a prize-winning American journalist Harry Morgan:

"I first met Augusta ANCA during my Fulbright professorship at the University of the West in Timisoara. Friends and colleagues had already told me much about this remarkable woman. As a journalist, however I wanted to know more &endash;perhaps even write about her for publications in America. She was the founder and guiding inspiration behind Timisoara's first-ever private university. She was responsible for the creation and the development of the Augusta Foundation, a non-profit activity devoted to the publishing of scholarly books and journals. She was also active in encouraging and initiating educational and cultural contacts between Roumania and universities abroad. At the same time she was working tirelessly to foster closer ties and relationships with ethnic Roumanians in all parts of the world. Augusta Anca is my idea of a true visionary! She sees a common thread in bringing all her activities together for the greater good of Roumania and Roumanians everywhere.From her position as Founder and Director General at Tibiscus, Augusta Anca is able to further expand her dreams to explore, pioneer and innovate."

I could for sure feel this dimension during my visit in Timisoara. She had planned a remarkable program, both cultural and friendly. Her current challenge is to raise funds for a new campus home and I can tell you that land near Timisoara has already been acquired for this purpose. Amazing.

Beginning of December I attended the AFFDU Salon du Livre in Paris invited by the President of AFFDU, Ms. Claudine ROGER and had the pleasure during the following AFFDU day to meet with many members from the various branches. The President of the Paris branch Ms. Nicole MASSIGNON invited me to come back to Paris on January 12, 2002 to take part in the discussion on "How to combine Family Life and Professional Activities". Since I had already organized the official seminar on egality, on the role of fathers in egality, during the Swedish Presidency to the European Union, at the European Commission in Brussels in April 2001 I have thus already worked on this issue on how to find solutions to this problem. I therefore accepted the invitation to what was going to be a most interesting and fruitful discussion between all the many nationalities present.

During the next month to come I have with pleasure accepted an invitation from the "British Federation of Women Graduates" to speak at their "European Relations Day" on the topic of "Women in Europe today".

I have also been invited by University of Liège to speak on March 14, 2002 within the framework Femmes Enseignement Recherche on the topic "Promouvoir et défendre les intérêts des femmes en Europe aujourd'hui".

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