The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) has initiated a broad European advocacy movement, gathering NGOs and decision-makers, calling for comprehensive EU action on violence against women and for a European Year on combating and preventing violence against women.
On 22 April 2009 Parliament adopted a declaration (22 April 2009) on the "Say NO to Violence against Women" campaign, and asked the Commission to declare, within the next 5 years, a "European Year on Zero Tolerance of Violence against Women". The European Parliament has consistently called for a European Year of combating violence against women, pointing out that almost one in four women in the EU suffer physical violence and more than 10% sexual violence. However, the situation is likely to be more alarming as there is a lack of comprehensive, reliable and comparable data in the EU.
A European Year would be the best way to draw attention to the spread phenomenon of violence against women and its impacts on society, to ask EU and national institutions to raise awareness on the issue and renew their political commitment to end violence against women as well as propose a concrete EU comprehensive policy framework to end violence against women.
A significant number of members of the European Parliament, national decision makers and European and international organisations have already joined the campaign.
To sign up to the European coalition for a European Year on combating and preventing violence against women, please click here.
Background
According to EWL, violence affects approximately 45% of all women across Europe. An estimated one-fifth of women in the EU suffer from violence within the home and more than one in ten women is a victim of sexual violence involving the use of force: in the UK, 80 000 women experience rape or attempted rape; in France, one woman is killed every three days by her partner. Domestic violence alone costs EU Member States as much as 16 billion Euros every year – or one million Euros every half hour. The annual budgets of EU Member States for prevention programmes of violence against women are 1000 times less than this figure, and this despite consistent Euro-barometer survey results highlighting widespread concern for the prevalence and scope of violence against women, including within the family.
To sign up to the European coalition for a European Year on combating and preventing violence against women, please click here.
Further information
European Women’s lobby website