Violence against women: a revolution is needed

Violence against women and girls and domestic violence are a pervasive plague and manifestation of discrimination against women and vulnerable family members.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
10 March 2023 Friday 14:17
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Violence against women: a revolution is needed

Violence against women and girls and domestic violence are a pervasive plague and manifestation of discrimination against women and vulnerable family members. A recent Eurostat survey has revealed that up to 41% of women have experienced violence.

With the entry into force in 2014 of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention), the States that are party to the convention took an important step towards strengthening legislation and national policies against this scourge.

The EU signed the Istanbul Convention in 2017, but accession stalled in the Council for several years. This changed three weeks ago, when the Council finally unlocked and accelerated adherence to the agreement. This is a promising achievement for advancing gender equality and improving responses to violence against women and domestic violence.

The ratification of the Istanbul Convention ensures that the EU respects its international standards, introduces its own comprehensive legislation and integrates the obligations of the convention in all areas of action of the Union.

One year ago today the European Commission proposed a directive to combat violence against women and domestic violence that complements the convention and completes our legal framework. This legislative proposal introduces common minimum standards for all Member States in terms of prevention, protection, support for victims, access to justice, cooperation and coordination of services.

We proposed the criminalization of violence against women, including online violence, for example, through the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, video or audio files or the threat to do so, and online hate speech. Addressing violence online is an inexcusable duty at a time when multiple facets of our lives have gone online without the necessary safeguards to maintain a safe space in which everyone can freely participate.

The proposal also criminalizes rape, through a definition based on the concept of consent for the entire duration of the sexual act.

The Istanbul Convention, together with our legislative proposal, once adopted, will establish the obligation of Member States to take specific measures so that women and girls can report more easily and in a supportive environment. They will encourage Member States to intensify their prevention programs and improve services, setting minimum reference values ​​for the entire territory of the EU.

As we celebrate International Women's Day, I think of the resilience of women survivors of violence, whether in the EU or in war zones, as in the case of Ukrainian women. Or of women ruled by totalitarian regimes, as in the case of Afghans and Iranians, among others.

I am thinking of the women who, to escape the perpetrators of domestic violence, had to rebuild their lives and leave their homes forever, who had to find a new job and a new school for their children, at enormous personal sacrifice. .

I think of the injustice and sense of loss that many women experience when faced with the impossible choice of continuing to endure the violence or leaving without knowing what life will bring.

I think of the many advocacy groups fueled by the invaluable work of civil society organizations and emerging sorority and empowerment.

I count on Member States to stand firm and united in their opposition to violence against women and domestic violence, and I urge them to complete the legislative framework by concluding the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and adopting the proposed EU directive.

To be effective, we must intensify our response to this form of violence. In fact, the situation of women and girls has worsened in recent years with the emergence of new risks, such as the spread of online violence.

Advances in gender equality are neither inevitable nor irreversible. We simply cannot afford to back down or lead a half-hearted fight against violence against women, as we will continue to lose.

Legislation alone will not work. So that they do not continue defeating us, we need a revolution. We must confront misogyny in our criminal justice systems, police forces, education systems, the media, and homes.

We must instigate a culture change, where both men and boys are taught to refrain from violence, and women and girls to be independent and walk away from these situations. Thinking that "men are like that" is unacceptable.

Gender equality will only be achieved on the day that we all actively promote and uphold it.