Debate: International day for the elimination of violence against women
Date: THURSDAY, 23 NOVEMBER 2023
Speaker: Dubravka Šuica
Language: EN

Violence against women and girls remains one of the least prosecuted crimes, and it is a key barrier to progressing on women’s rights and to safeguarding the common values of our Union as a whole. I thank this House and its Members for being a strong ally in keeping the eradication of violence against women and girls high on the European Union political agenda. Since the adoption of the gender equality strategy in 2020, we have achieved significant progress in multiple areas of gender-based discrimination and equality, transforming our political commitments into meaningful actions. We remain inspired by the vision of a brighter future and present for women and girls in all their diversity, in particular those facing gender based and domestic violence. This year, the European Union finally acceded to the Istanbul Convention, marking a major step forward in making Europe a safer place for women and girls. The European Union is now bound by ambitious and comprehensive standards to prevent and combat gender-based violence, in judicial cooperation in criminal matters, asylum and non-refoulement, and in its public administration. But there is no single solution to such a deeply ingrained systemic issue. This is why our legislative proposal on combating violence against women and domestic violence is so important. I would like to thank this House for your invaluable support on this important matter. The proposal includes the criminalisation of certain offences amounting to violence against women, such as rape based on a lack of consent, female genital mutilation, the non-consensual sharing of intimate and manipulated material, as well as cyber harassment and cyber incitement to violence or hatred. Additionally, the proposal guarantees the protection of victims of violence against women and domestic violence, as well as their support and access to justice and the prevention of such forms of violence. Compared to the Istanbul Convention, it implements new obligations of the European Union following its accession to that convention in judicial cooperation in criminal matters. As things stand, time is running out to adopt this directive before the upcoming European elections. We must keep pushing for progress. The European Commission very much appreciates the efforts of the European Parliament negotiating team. Let me notably thank the two co-rapporteurs, Evin Incir and Frances Fitzgerald, to ensure an outcome matching the ambition of our proposal. Looking ahead, we are working on a recommendation to prevent and combat harmful practices against women and girls, as announced in our gender equality strategy. With this recommendation, we intend to encourage Member States to take action to address female genital mutilation, forced and child marriages, honour-related violence, forced abortion and forced sterilisation and other harmful practices that disproportionately affect women and girls. On 29 and 30 November, the Commission will hold the first meeting of the newly established European network on the prevention of gender-based and domestic violence, which will bring together Member State experts and key stakeholders to explore emerging issues and discuss new practices. The role of men and boys in the prevention of gender-based and domestic violence is key and will be a key focus of the network. In the G7 setting, the European Union contributes to the strengthening of the accountability of the leaders’ political commitment and to ensure gender mainstreaming is a cross-sectoral principle in the G7’s activities. We also continue to be fully engaged as co-leader of the Generation Equality Forum, Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence and UN Women. On the International Day, the Commission is joining the UN’s global campaign to end violence against women. The European Union expresses its unwavering support for women and girls who have suffered from violence as victims and survivors, and we condemn the use of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war. We stand with our partners, civil society, women’s rights groups and human rights defenders in their call for justice and accountability.