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http://epacvaw.org/spip.php?article35

The European Policy Action Centre on Violence Against Women

The European Policy Action Centre on Violence against Women is an international not-for-profit organisation working to achieve equality between women and men through the elimination of all forms of male violence against women. Set up as a branch of the European Women’s Lobby in 2007, EPAC VAW supports the EWL’s Observatory on Violence against Women, with the aim of promoting and improving policies to prevent and combat all forms of discrimination and violence against women. Its work is based on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and its Optional Protocol, the Beijing Platform for Action and Beijing + 5.

The Centre aims to facilitate and develop the work of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) Observatory on Violence against Women (VAW).

Main activities

• Support, manage and develop the EWL’s Europe-wide Observatory on Violence against Women, in order to monitor and improve the development and implementation of policies and measures to prevent and combat all forms of male violence against women in Europe
• Inform NGOs, especially EWL member organisations, the general public and public actors on policy issues and good practice in the field of violence against women and disseminate widely information on VAW.
• Identify gaps in legal, policy and service provision and develop strategies and proposals as to how to address these shortcomings.
• Initiate and conduct research, offer consultancy and training, support network/building all over Europe
• Produce and disseminate widely info material and publications related to violence against women and women’s human rights

All EU Member States have ratified the CEDAW convention and endorsed the Beijing +5 Platform of Action, both of which include specific measures to address violence against women. Most of these international commitments also acknowledge the important role of NGOs as partners in combating violence against women.

Despite a clear legal base on gender equality and anti-discrimination in the EU treaties, strong EU policies on violence against women are still missing. We demand that such a policy sets out an EU-wide definition of violence against women as agreed in the Beijing Platform on Action, and includes a commitment to allocate social and financial resources, as well as a focus on prevention and public awareness campaigns.

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