VZCZCXRO8411
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHHE #0099 0460706
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 150706Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2967
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000099 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/IWI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: FI KDEM PHUM
SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL WOMAN OF COURAGE IN FINLAND:  ULLA 
ANTILLA 
 
REF: SECSTATE 12871 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Ulla Anttila has been a member of Finland's 
Parliament since 1992 and has taken the lead as the 
Chairperson of the Finnish Parliament's Human Rights Caucus 
on a variety of women's issues at home and abroad.  In 
particular, her work to combat trafficking-in-persons in the 
Nordic-Baltic region has helped transform the Finnish 
government's approach to this critical problem.  In just a 
few short years, the Finnish government has gone from a 
position of denial (there's no problem here!) to one of 
regional and EU-wide leadership on combatting TIP.  Ulla's 
efforts to raise public awareness and to publicly campaign 
for change have helped create a sea change in public 
perceptions and in government policy as reflected in 
Finland's shift from Tier 2 to Tier 1 on the State 
Department's TIP Report. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Ulla has also been a vocal activist and advocate 
for the rights of the disabled, serving as the Chariman of 
Parliament's Group for Disabled People.  Inspired by her 
oldest daughter, Allie, who has several disabilities, Ulla 
has fought to raise the awareness of Finnish society about 
the thousands of children and adults living with 
disabilities; and has challenged the Finnish government to 
develop new standards to accommodate the disabled.  One of 
her greatest successes was in drafting and sponsoring 
legislation that required disabled access in all public 
buildings, apartments and public transportaition, including 
smaller and rural bus stops.  Despite opposition from various 
groups (chiefly over cost), Ulla led the effort to pass the 
legislation, and then kept pressure on Finland's government 
for several years until it finally budgeted funds to make 
implementation possible.  In her travels, most recently, for 
example, to Ethiopia, she tirelessly urges countries not to 
forget the rights of some of their most vulnerable citizens. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  In a country that is proud of the fact that it was 
the first in the world to grant women suffrage (in 1907) and 
has a long tradition of women in government, including the 
current President of Finland, one could argue that it would 
be easy to fully support the status quo.  Ulla's style and 
penchant for choosing causes that many people would prefer to 
quietly ignore have not always made her the most popular MP 
with the government, especially in Finland where consensus 
and homogenity are the rule. But she is a politician and 
activist with the strength of her convictions who has made a 
real difference in the lives of thousands in Finland and 
throughout the region. 
 
¶4.  (U)  Contact Information: 
 
Ulla Anttila 
00102 Parliament Finland 
ulla.anttila@eduskunta.fi 
Tel:  050-511-3005 
Date of birth:  December 13, 1963 
 
Point of Contact at Embassy Helsinki:  Jane Messenger, 
Economic Section Chief, tel:  358-9-6162-5468. 
WARE