Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a Council Decision on a medium-term Community action programme on measures providing a Community-wide support to Member States action relating to violence against children, young persons and women (the Daphne Programme 2000-2004)` () (98/C 407/31)

On 14 August 1998 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Social, Family, Educational and Cultural Affairs, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 16 July 1998. The rapporteur was Mrs Wahrolin.

At its 357th plenary session (meeting of 9 September 1998) the Economic and Social Committee unanimously adopted the following opinion.

1. Introduction

The Commission Communication seeks at European level to reinforce initiatives, actions and measures to prevent violence against children, young persons and women.

The Commission proposes:

- a multi-annual Community programme (the Daphne Programme), designed to establish and reinforce networks among Community NGOs;

- specific measures to protect children from violence, including the collection of statistics and the proposal to make full use of the services of Europol in the search for missing children;

- specific Community measures to be organized during 1999.

2. ESC comments

2.1. The programme contains some very relevant observations, but they need to be presented more clearly and more consistently. It is important to point out these are extremely complex problems, and the causes and solutions might need to be discussed at several different levels.

2.2. Violence against women and children is widespread and all strata of society are involved. Men who ill-treat or sexually abuse women come from all backgrounds and all age-groups; they are usually acquainted with the woman, and the violence tends to take place within the home. This means that violence often goes unnoticed and does not show up in the statistics.

Certain groups are particularly vulnerable to violence and cruelty, including the disabled. This is because they may have difficulty in saying that they have been the victims of violence, or because they may be dependent on the persons who attend to their daily requirements.

Similar dependent relationships can arise between children and adults in many other contexts. Examples can be found of situations in which a dependent relationship is exploited unscrupulously by the stronger partner.

Despite the introduction of a large number of measures over recent years, there is still a great deal of hidden violence. If society is to be able to deal with this serious problem, more attention must be paid to the reasons why violence is perpetrated against women. One of the reasons is society's, and the individual's, view of women. Outdated ideas of a woman's role still persist. Such preconceptions underpin - either directly or indirectly - the idea that men should dominate over women, and they should be vigorously contested. In the long run, they can provide a breeding ground for violence against women. We must raise awareness of the underlying reasons for violence against women if we are to put forward effective measures to counteract it.

Violence against women is thus connected with issues surrounding equality between men and women, the way power is shared between the sexes, and men's view of women. Rape can be seen as an extreme example of imbalance in the male-female power scheme. There are other phenomena in society which are closely connected with violence against children and women, and which similarly reflect an imbalance: prostitution, pornography, incest, sexual mutilation and sexual harassment.

It is difficult to reconcile the attitude to women expressed in such behaviour with the EU's equal opportunities objective, which includes equal rights, duties and opportunities in all areas for men and women. The Committee hopes that the Daphne Programme will help to achieve this objective, and guarantee women and children the right to enjoy basic human rights.

2.3. The abusers

The Committee would also point out that any discussion of preventive measures must, of necessity, also target the perpetrators of the crime, i.e. the abusers. One of the programme's shortcomings is that the abuser is hardly referred to. The following questions need to be answered: Who are the abusers? Why do they act as they do? How can we get them to change their behaviour?

It should also be pointed out that specific legal and programme initiatives needed to be tailored to the different types of abuser. Research into the causes of violence and approaches to treatment for men with a history of violence could be helpful here. The ESC feels it should also be possible to use project funds for research into abuser treatment methods. The ESC observes that the system for punishing abusers differs from country to country, and feels that an exchange of Member States' experiences regarding such systems as well as different rehabilitation programmes would be valuable.

The proposal has much to say about information campaigns, and these are doubtless of great importance. However, they do not necessarily have the desired impact on all types of criminal. The results of the World Congress against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children () show clearly that paedophiles tend to shrug off this type of campaign. However, it can act as an effective deterrent for the vast majority of men who - alongside their sexual activities with adults - also abuse children.

3. Cooperation

The programme highlights the need for cooperation in the voluntary sector, and between voluntary organizations and the authorities. The ESC endorses this line. It is important to support various forms of cooperation in order to harness the wealth of experience and know-how of the various authorities and voluntary organizations.

4. Children

The Committee is aware of the fact that, for cultural and other reasons, definitions of a 'child` may differ. It is therefore important to refer to Article 1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that a child is anyone under 18 years of age, unless legislation provides for adulthood at an earlier age.

With reference to Article 12 of the Convention, a forthcoming action programme should guarantee children the right to make their views known on all issues relating to their maturity and age. Moreover, it is important to identify, or establish and support, networks for children and young people which fight for children's rights, and ensure they have the right to participate in framing and implementing programmes which affect them.

The ESC would also point out that the children of battered wives have been pushed into the background, and that it is high time attention was focused on them. In accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is important that they be seen as individuals in their own right, who are in need of help and support. Research findings show that violence is passed down from one generation to the next; it is therefore desirable that children should immediately be given the opportunity to work through their experiences.

5. Applicant countries

It is extremely positive that the applicant countries have been invited to take part in the programme. It is time to highlight the situation of children in those countries, and to raise awareness in both the general public and those responsible for adopting and implementing legislation. There is a pressing need for know-how in this area, and it is thus extremely important for Western organizations to be able to share their experience and know-how. Exchanges of know-how and experience between the applicant countries and Western European countries should be promoted.

6. The Media

The influence of the media on society is enormous; accordingly, it can play a key role in disseminating information. Media professionals should be encouraged to frame strategies to strengthen the media's role in providing top-quality information, and reliable ethical standards in issues concerning all aspects of violence against, and the sexual abuse of, women and children.

The Internet is increasingly the vehicle for communication between individuals. It has enormous information potential and can facilitate cooperation between organizations. Databases could be set up to collate easily accessible, structured information. However, this new technology does have its downside: it is now easier for illegal material - such as child pornography and violent pornographic images - to travel over borders. This extremely serious global, cross-border problem will require close Member State cooperation.

7. Summary

The ESC wholeheartedly endorses the Commission's stance that violence against women and children should be treated as a serious infringement of basic human rights. For too long, the abuse and sexual exploitation of women and children has been regarded as matter for the family only. The Commission's declaration in this respect will provide useful ammunition in the fight against the oppression of women and children.

Moreover, it is very positive that the importance of voluntary organizations has been highlighted, as these have extensive experience and expertise in matters concerning violence against women and children.

The ESC also endorses the proposal on the EU-level collation and analysis of publicly-available statistics on the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, as well as the proposal calling on the Member States to harness Europol resources for both tracing and recovering missing children, and for possible intervention against the criminal and criminal networks.

Since this problem exists in all countries, it is extremely important that the applicant countries also be invited to participate in the programme.

Brussels, 9 September 1998.

The President of the Economic and Social Committee

Tom JENKINS

() OJ C 259, 18.8.1998 p. 2.

() See also the own-initiative Opinion on 'Exploitation of children and sex tourism` (OJ C 284, 14.9.1998, p. 92), currently being drafted by Mr Sklavounos.