Author: Hanne Van De Ven
On 25 November the European Parliament building in Strasbourg lit up orange to show support for United Nations’ International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. While the building shined bright on the outside, a heated debate went on within. The facts do not lie: one in third of the European women have faced physical or sexual violence, or both, and every day seven women are killed by gender-based violence in the EU. In presence of Věra Jourová, the Commissioner of Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, the European Parliamentary Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) expressed the need for change.
Article 8 of the Lisbon Treaty
addresses the equality between men and women in the EU. According to
the Treaty, all Member States should take all necessary steps to
fight domestic violence and support the victims. However not all
Member States have introduced effective laws protecting women against
violence. In some countries, a formal complaint must be submitted by
the victim before legal action can be taken. This is inefficient as
most crimes go unreported because the victims feel afraid or ashamed.
For this reason, Iratxe García Pérez of the FEMM called on the
Commission, the Parliament and the Council to give the EU the power
to combat gender-based violence, by introducing legislation for all
Member States.
