Violence against women and girls: EU guidelines

KEY POINTS

Violence against women and girls is a worldwide phenomenon, with its roots in economic and power inequalities between the sexes, customs, traditions, religious values, political instability and armed conflict.

It has serious consequences for the physical and mental health of victims, as well as society in general.

The guidelines have 3 interlinked aims:

• to prevent violence against women and girls;
• to protect and support victims;
• to prosecute those who commit such violence.

To achieve these, with the cooperation of EU countries, the guidelines seek to:

• promote equality and fight discrimination against women, acknowledging that obstacles to socioeconomic and political rights increase women’s exposure to violence;
• focus on legislation and public policies which discriminate against women and girls, combating discrimination in private life and gender stereotyping;
• improve data collection, and find better ways of recognising the signs of violence against women;
• design collaborative strategies that really work, involving every individual and sector in society, including politicians and the media;
• challenge the impunity² of those who commit violence, and make sure they are held to account;
• ensure that acts of violence are investigated swiftly and seriously, and that the criminal justice system works in ways which encourage women to give evidence;
• improve law enforcement training, legal aid, victim and witness protection, and create conditions where victims are no longer economically dependent on those committing violence.

The EU will regularly raise the issue outside the EU, including at the United Nations (UN). Reference will also be made to women’s rights in all the mandates of the EU’s special representatives and envoys. In particular, the EU will encourage countries to ratify the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The EU aims to prevent violence and help victims through support for:

• access to justice for the victims of violence;
• the role of the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women in situations where violence is widespread and goes unpunished;
• measures against impunity by monitoring court proceedings;
• women’s rights defenders and female human rights defenders³;
• free psychological help, legal assistance, accommodation and the reintegration of victims with their children;
• access to information and health services, particularly in relation to sexual and reproductive health;
• programmes promoting the right to take decisions relating to sexuality, without being subjected to coercion, discrimination or violence;
• programmes targeted at women who are in a situation which increases their risk of being victims of violence;
• education in the fundamental rights and empowerment of women and girls;
• awareness raising, focusing on gender equality and stereotyping, particularly aimed at men and boys;
• programmes aimed at improving the economic independence of women;
• campaigns focusing on dealing with the systematic neglect of girls, particularly in relation to official birth registration and schooling.

In exceptionally serious cases, for example where violence is perpetrated or tolerated by a country contrary to international commitments, the EU may take specific measures.