Brussels, 26/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - On the question of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Commissioner Viviane Reding declared on Sunday 25 November that, “the European Union is working to deliver results not only on International Days, but on all 365 days a year”. This kind of violence affects seven out of ten women in the world and one in every five women in Europe. One out of ten women In Europe has suffered sexual violence.
European legislation. The Commissioner for fundamental rights illustrated the action the EU was taking to stamp out the problem, particularly the Commission proposal on victims' rights. She is hoping that member states will soon transpose this into their national legislation because “victims of gender violence will benefit. Authorities will have to identify vulnerable victims - such as a victim of rape - and give them proper protection while the police investigate and while the courts prosecute”. She is also expecting the Council to reach an agreement on the European Protection Order “to make sure that women who are victims of violence in their homes are better protected” and that protection is upheld if the victim decides to travel in the EU to another member state.
In the world. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, also reaffirmed the EU's commitment at a global level to stopping violence against women. “We must not only help prevent violence; we must also work to provide women with access to economic opportunities, to ensure their equal participation in public life, repeal laws and practices that continue to discriminate against them and ensure that homes, offices, streets and schools are safe for women and girls”. She explained that this was why, “We have therefore made it a priority for the EU's military and police missions to prevent and combat gender-based violence”.
Council of Europe Convention. MEPs and the European Women's Lobby are already putting pressure on for the EU to ratify the Council of Europe's International Convention on Violence against Women. A written declaration to this end has been circulated to the past week at the European Parliament. Once half of all MEPs have signed it, it will become a political instrument of the European Parliament. Cécile Gréboval, the Secretary General of the Women's Lobby added that, “all Member States should ratify the Convention as soon as possible and the EU as a whole has a duty to formally recognise and take on board this collective commitment”. (MD/transl.fl)