Debate: Combating gender-based violence: cyberviolence
Date: MONDAY, 13 DECEMBER 2021
Speaker: Helena Dalli
Language: EN

Most of us have switched to online schooling, working, entertainment and provision of services. But while the switch has happened, the digital environment has not yet been fully adapted to guarantee online safety for everyone. Online violence targeting women has become pervasive, with specific vicious consequences. It’s a barrier to women’s participation in public life. Bullying, harassment and abuse on social media have far—reaching effects on victims’ daily lives.  The Gender Equality Strategy announced the adoption of a set of measures within the limits of EU competences to achieve the same objective as the Istanbul Convention, as well as targeted measures to address cyberviolence against women. These measures will, to a large extent, meet the objectives sought by the report discussed today.  Early next year, the Commission intends to put forward a broad directive on violence against women and domestic violence with a focus on prevention, protection, support and access to justice, which would include criminalisation of specific forms of violence against women and domestic violence on the basis of the existing legal basis in Article 83 of the Treaty.  The Commission envisages to address online and offline forms of violence against women and domestic violence in the same legislative proposal, since cyberviolence is often part of a continuum of violence taking place offline. This would meet our shared objective of filling the most important gaps and ensuring that the most serious forms of cyberviolence against women are sanctioned in Europe.  In the upcoming directive we intend to cover, as also requested by Parliament, measures to prevent cyberviolence against women, protect and support victims, improve access to justice with a victim—centred and intersectional approach, and ensure better coordination between competent authorities. These measures can be adopted on the basis of existing Treaty provisions and do not require the prior establishment of a new EU crime of gender—based Violence.  Moreover, last week, the Commission adopted an initiative to trigger a Council decision to extend the list of EU crimes in Article 83 of the Treaty to include hate crime and hate speech. This new area of EU crime would subsequently allow the Commission to propose criminalising also specific forms of gender—based hate crime and hate speech not covered by the existing legal basis.  These initiatives will, to a large extent, achieve the objectives pursued by Parliament. These proposals are a complement to, and will support the effectiveness of, the measures proposed in the Digital Services Act, which requires that intermediary services address illegal content online. In particular, the EU—level criminalisation of cyberviolence against women will clarify the notion of illegal content online.  The Commission is also delivering on a number of non—legislative measures you are calling for. The new Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values programme has significantly increased funding for organisations and projects fighting gender—based violence. We are working to improve data collection and have tasked Eurostat with conducting an EU—wide survey on gender—based violence. We are preparing an EU—wide communication campaign to tackle gender stereotypes.  Furthermore, we will facilitate cooperation between Internet platforms and other relevant stakeholders in order to protect women’s safety online. We are also preparing legislation to prevent and combat child sexual abuse online and create an EU centre to prevent and combat child sexual abuse, as Parliament requested. Overall, this package of legislative and non—legislative measures is aimed at tackling gender—based violence against women and domestic violence, through a holistic approach. It will, to a large extent, cover the measures which this Parliament is calling for.