WUNRN
European Women's Lobby - EWL
SIGN-UP FOR COALITION - ONLINE
29 April 2011 - The European
Women’s Lobby (EWL) has initiated a broad European advocacy movement, gathering
NGOs and decision-makers, lobbying for an EU comprehensive action on violence
against women and for 2013 to be the European Year on combating and preventing
violence against women.
European Year 2013 is the best
way to draw attention to the spread phenomenon of violence against women and
its impacts on society. Through the establishment of such year, EU and national
institutions raise awareness on the issue and renew their political commitment
to end violence against women. This is the perfect opportunity to propose
concrete measures together with awareness activities and a media campaign: by
coupling the EU Year and an EU comprehensive policy framework to end violence
against women, the EU would demonstrate its genuine commitment to take the lead
towards a
Already in 2009, the European
Parliament had asked the European Commission to declare, within the next five
years, a ’European Year on Zero Tolerance of Violence against Women’, in a
written declaration adopted in April. In October 2010, more than half of the MEPs
adopted a new written declaration on establishing a European Year of Combating
Violence against Women. Such call for a European Year has been repeatedly
demanded in many EP resolutions and reports dealing with women’s rights and
equality between women and men over the last two years. It’s now time to act
and use the opportunity of the EC’s commitment to deliver a strategy, and have
a concrete comprehensive and effective EU action aiming at ending violence
against women through legislative and awareness activities.
To date, the EU has no binding
legislation in place to deal with this most pervasive human rights abuse within
its borders. The last few years have nevertheless witnessed an increased
political willingness to change this, with multiple calls from the European
Parliament for action, the prioritisation of the issue by the Trio Presidency,
Council Conclusions mandating the European Commission to devise a Strategy on
violence against women and consider legal instruments, and numerous commitments
to this effect by the EU executive. In parallel, the European Fundamental
Rights Agency and European Institute for Gender Equality have launched
initiatives to gather much needed comparable European data on the issue, and
the Daphne Programme has built up a solid foundation of expertise and good
practices throughout the
Violence against women is a human
rights issue. It affects approximately 45% of all women across
Violence against women is a
political issue, both cause and consequence of inequality between women and
men. In addition to the direct impacts on individuals and the aggregate social
costs, male violence against women shapes women’s place in society: their
access to employment and education, integration into social and cultural
activities, economic independence, participation in public and political life
and decision-making, health and relations with men. At the same time, inequality
between women and men creates the conditions for violence against women and
legitimises it.
The time is therefore ripe for a
comprehensive approach to ending violence against women within the EU’s borders
and for a European Commission commitment to elaborate an EU policy framework on
combating violence against women by 2012. Such action has to be accompanied by
a clear public message that violence against women is a pervasive violation of
women’s rights, through the establishment of 2013 as the European Year on
combating and preventing violence against women.
Join our coalition and advocate
for EU action to end violence against women now and a European Year 2013
dedicated to this goal!