The Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality adopted the own-initiative report by Antonyia PARANOVA (ALDE, BG) with recommendations to the Commission on combating Violence Against Women. Members noted that the number of women killed is accounting for a growing proportion of the total, proving that violence against women is increasing.
They also noted that according to the European Added Value Assessment, the annual cost to the EU of gender-based violence against women is estimated at EUR 228 billion in 2011 (i.e 1.8 % of EU GDP), of which EUR 45 billion a year in public and state services and EUR 24 billion of lost economic output.
Accordingly, the committee requested the Commission to submit, by the end of 2014, on the basis of Article 84 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, a proposal for an act establishing measures to promote and support the action of Member States in the field of prevention of violence against women and girls (VAWG), following the detailed recommendations set out in the report. The recommendations cover the following areas:
Recommendation 1 on the objective and scope of the Regulation to be adopted: Members considered that gender-based violence should be considered as violence that is directed against a person because of that person's gender, gender identity or gender expression or that affects persons of a particular gender disproportionately. It may result in physical, sexual, emotional or psychological harm, or economic loss, to the victim and may include violence in close relationships, sexual violence (including rape, sexual assault and harassment), trafficking in human beings, slavery, and different forms of harmful practices, such as forced marriages, female genital mutilation and so-called ‘honour crimes’).
Recommendation 2 on prevention and combat measures: the report sets out measures that include yearly comprehensive strategies and programmes, including public education programmes and training for teachers and professionals in the recreational sector.
Recommendation 3 on national rapporteurs or equivalent mechanisms: within one year from the entry into force of the Regulation, Member States should establish national rapporteurs or equivalent mechanisms. The tasks of such mechanisms should include:
- the carrying out of assessments of trends in gender-based violence,
- the measuring of results of measures taken to combat it at national and local level,
- the gathering of statistics,
- report yearly to the Commission and the competent committees of the European Parliament.
Recommendation 4 on coordination of the Union strategy: Member States should transmit to the Commission the information referred to in Recommendation 3.
Recommendation 5 on reporting: an annual report from the Commission will assess the extent to which Member States have taken appropriate measures
Recommendation 6 on the creation of a civil society forum : the Commission shall maintain a close dialogue with relevant civil society organisations and set up a Civil Society Forum for this purpose.
Recommendation 7 on financial support: the Regulation should establish the source of the financial support within the frame of the Union budget (Section III) for the actions listed under Recommendation 3.
Furthermore, the Council was asked to activate the passerelle clause, by adopting a unanimous decision identifying violence against women and girls (and other forms of gender based violence) as an area of crime listed in Article 83(1) of the TFEU.
Reiterating the need for a new proposal for EU legislation which establishes a coherent system for collecting statistics on violence against women in the Member States, Members also asked for a revised proposal for a Regulation on European statistics that would target violent crimes of any kind against women and include a coherent system for collecting statistics on gender-based violence in the Member States.
Members called on the Commission to promote national ratifications and launch the procedure for the accession of the EU to the Istanbul Convention on violence against women, once it has evaluated the impact and added value the latter would have.
The Commission was asked to present an EU-wide Strategy and an Action Plan to combat all forms of violence against women and girls, with the aim of protecting women’s integrity, equality and well-being in an area of freedom, security and justice, focusing in particular on making women aware of their rights and men and boys (from an early age) of the need to respect women’s physical and psychological integrity, stressing the need for police and judicial services to be given proper training in dealing with the specific challenges of gender-based violence, and encouraging Member States to make arrangements to help victims rebuild their lives and recover their self-confidence. Such strategy should devote particular attention to vulnerable groups such as older persons, people with disabilities, immigrants and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) persons and that it should also comprise measures to support children who have witnessed violence and recognise them as victims of crime.