European Commission: Positive steps to combat violence against women and domestic violence

The European Commission has taken a legislative initiative to combat violence against women and domestic violence, on the occasion of today’s celebration of International Women’s Day.

The new draft law “criminalizes violence against women, including cyberbullying” and “establishes common standards for all Member States on protection, access to justice, victim support, prevention and co-operation,” the article said. of European Equality Commissioner Helena Daly.

This necessity arose, according to the Commissioner, from the increase of violence against women during the pandemic in the public and private spheres as well as on the Internet and she is convinced that in view of the new data the European Parliament and the Council will agree.

According to Eurostat, 178,000 sex crimes were recorded by police in the EU in 2019 and more than a third were rapes.

The new law provides for new support tools, including the operation of special helplines, which will be reinforced through a pan-European number – 116 016 – which will refer victims to appropriate services and authorities, wherever they are in the EU.

“We want to ensure that no victim is forced to face gender-based violence on their own,” she said.

Full article by Equality Commissioner Helena Daly: “Fighting violence against women and domestic violence across the EU”

Violence against women and domestic violence are widespread social problems affecting all social groups and are particularly common in all EU countries. This violence occurs in the public and private spheres, as well as on online platforms. According to Eurostat, 178,000 sex crimes were recorded by police in the EU in 2019 and more than a third were rapes.

When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, we realized that there was a shadow pandemic spreading rapidly. The increase in violence against women was a dizzying 70% compared to the previous and already high number of cases recorded, for example, in the Belgian region of Flanders during the second week of the first pandemic ban.

Even one victim is too much. However, inadequate treatment of gender and domestic violence and inconsistencies in existing systems result in many women and girls being abused and not receiving support and protection from the judiciary – even losing their lives.

It was necessary to develop new reporting tools for victims who were trapped with their perpetrators due to the activity ban. Critical institutional safeguards needed to be redefined, which led to concerns about whether new operating methods should be a permanent element of our strategies for tackling violence against women and domestic violence.

Many Member States have set up 24-hour helplines, launched awareness campaigns in pharmacies, increased the capacity of shelters and declared support services necessary, ensuring their continued operation despite pandemic restrictions. Although these reactions have been positive, we need to further intensify prevention programs and improve services by setting minimum benchmarks across EU territory.

At the same time, cyberbullying against women has spread exponentially. A recent Plan International survey of 14,000 girls worldwide found that up to 58% were harassed and abused online. This often happens without any consequences for the perpetrators.

The Istanbul Convention of the Council of Europe is the most effective international legal instrument in existence. The last decade has sparked major national reforms. However, six EU Member States have not yet ratified the convention. While the European Commission remains committed to ratifying the Convention, the lack of agreement by the Council on this perspective has prompted us to develop our own legislative proposal to tackle violence against women and domestic violence.

Today, on International Women’s Day, the European Commission adopts a legislative proposal establishing common minimum standards for all Member States on protection, access to justice, victim support, prevention and cooperation.

We propose criminalizing violence against women, including cyberbullying, such as non-consensual sharing of personal images, videos or audio files, or related threats; and rape involving any non-consensual physical penetration.

Once adopted, this new law will require special helplines for victims of violence. These lines will be strengthened through a pan-European number, 116 016, which will refer victims to appropriate services and authorities, wherever they are in the EU. We want to ensure that no victim is forced to face gender-based violence alone.

We are convinced that with today’s proposal we can make a difference for women across the EU. Of course, this requires the agreement of the European Parliament and the Council. We hope that the recent increase in gender-based violence will push Member States to quickly reach common ground, with the aim of protecting women and girls from violent sexist behavior that violates our dignity and rights.

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