Commission and High Representative/Vice-President call for increased efforts to protect women and girls from violence

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, the European Commission and the High Representative/Vice-President issued the following statement:

“All forms of violence against women are despicable. They are a violation of human rights and undermine our core values.

Women across all corners of the world continue to endure unspeakable violence – physical, sexual, psychological and economic –  offline and online. Women and girls also bear the brunt of both immediate violent and lasting effects of war and conflict, resulting disproportionality in economic hardship. The situation is especially dramatic in the context of humanitarian crises, where instances of conflict-related sexual violence and human trafficking often go unreported.

Following the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention, the most ambitious and comprehensive standards to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence, this year we adopted the first ever EU law to effectively fight violence against women and domestic violence, which complements existing legislation in EU Member States. We now have additional tools to combat such violence, both offline and online, to ensure that women and girls can be safe and live without fear, to provide the targeted support services for victims, and accountability for perpetrators. We call on all Member States to put in place these robust measures swiftly.

Our commitment to end violence against women around the world is a key priority for the EU external action, not least in the EU’s role as a major humanitarian donor. We reaffirm our steadfast dedication to the immediate eradication of violence against women and girls in collaboration with partner countries, civil society, women’s rights groups, and human rights defenders.”

Background

The EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 commits the European Union to prevent and combat gender-based violence. In May 2024, the European Union adopted the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence. The Directive aims to provide a comprehensive framework to effectively prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence across the EU. It does so by introducing definitions of certain criminal offences (cyberviolence offences, female genital mutilation and forced marriage), strengthening the protection and support of victims, facilitating their access to justice, enhancing prevention, data collection, coordination and cooperation.

In October 2023, the European Union acceded to the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention. It is the most far-reaching international legal instrument to set out binding obligations to prevent and combat violence against women and girls. In parallel, the Commission has already achieved most of the actions under its EU Strategy on victims’ rights (2020-2025). The objective of the strategy is to ensure that all victims in the EU can fully benefit from their rights under EU law. In July 2023, the Commission adopted the proposal for a Directive amending the 2012 Victims’ Rights Directive, and to strengthen the rights of all victims of crime across the European Union.

Today, the Commission is also publishing a Flash Eurobarometer on Gender Stereotypes on Violence against Women. Across the EU, 92% of respondents consider unacceptable for a man to occasionally slap their wife or girlfriend. 82% of respondents find it also unacceptable for men to body gaze, ogle, catcall or whistle at women. 73% disagree that women often make up or exaggerate claims of abuse or rape. 

On 25 November, Eurostat, the European Union Fundamental Rights’ Agency (FRA), and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) will present the findings of a joint survey on gender-based violence in the EU. More information on the gender-based violence survey can be found here from Monday 25 November 11:00 CET. 

The Commission provides funding for projects and organisations to tackle gender-based violence through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme. EUR 23 million will be made available in 2025 under the DAPHNE strand to support transnational actions that tackle and prevent violence against children and gender-based violence in the domestic sphere and in intimate relationships, as well as those that protect and support survivors of gender-based violence, including child protection systems.

Internationally, the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy (2020-2024) and the Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in External Action 2021 – 2025 (GAP III), extended until 2027, stand as the EU’s ambitious framework for achieving progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The EU, as co-leader of the Generation Equality Forum’s Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence, will continue its efforts to curb gender-based violence, throughout the world.

Six years since its launch, the Spotlight Initiative‘s initial phase has been fully implemented in five regions. Its success has led to the Initiative being selected as one of the 12 ‘High Impact Initiatives’ for its impact across all of the Sustainable Development Goals. As the initiative enters its next phase, the EU will continue to invest in the prevention of gender-based violence globally.

As every year, the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) participate in the UN Women’s Orange the World campaign. On the evening of the 24 November, the European Commission’s Headquarters, the Berlaymont building, will be illuminated in orange, the UN-designated symbol of the global commitment to eliminate Violence against Women. The facade of EEAS headquarters will also go orange to support the campaign. Pictures will be available on EbS.