European Commission - Statement
Brussels, 24 November 2015
Ahead of the occasion of the International Day for the elimination of
violence against women, we join our voices to put an end to violence against
women and girls.
Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President, Federica Mogherini,
the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
and Vice-President of the Commission, Neven Mimica,
Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration,
Home Affairs and Citizenship, Christos Stylianides,
Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, and Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and
Gender Equality, made the following statement:
Ahead of the occasion of the International Day for the elimination of
violence against women, we join our voices to put an end to violence against
women and girls. This violence constitutes a blatant violation of human rights
and gender discrimination that blights every country in Europe and worldwide.
We strongly condemn all forms of violence against women and girls.
The figures are alarming: one in three women in the EU has experienced some
form of gender-based violence in their lives. Too many girls are married or
mutilated in childhood within our borders and beyond. In many countries, over
half of murdered women are killed by an intimate partner, a relative or family
member, in their own homes. They are also very vulnerable to all forms of
violence in conflict areas and during humanitarian crises.
This year, we should pay special attention to the growing numbers of women
seeking refuge or asylum in the EU. Some have been raped, beaten or sexually
exploited during their journey, while others flee gender-based violence in
their home countries. They are arriving in Europe in need of gender-sensitive
support, which we must provide.
Combating all forms of violence against women and girls remains a key
priority for the Commission, both within and outside EU borders. The EU
Victims' Rights Directive, which recognises the specific needs of victims of
gender-based violence, entered into force on 16 November. We support the EU
accession to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating
violence against women and domestic violence as a further step to effectively
combat violence against women and girls at national and European levels.
Another form of violence that targets most specifically women and girls is
sexual violence in conflict. As we are celebrating the 15th anniversary of the
UN Security Council's milestone Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security,
the EU and the international community must intensify their efforts to
eliminate all such forms of violence and bring the perpetrators to justice.
We believe that there cannot be sustainable development without women's
empowerment and this cannot be achieved without eliminating all forms of
violence against all women and girls. This is why the EU has worked hard to put
women's rights at the core of the new Sustainable Development Goals, including
specific targets regarding the elimination of gender-specific violence and
harmful practices against women and girls.
As from January 2016, a new Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 for EU external
relations, endorsed by the Council, will be applied. Fighting against all forms
of violence against women and girls is one of the priority objectives. In an
effort to raise awareness, the European External Action Service has recently
launched a diplomatic outreach with a focus on all forms of violence against
children and women and in particular to end child, early and forced marriage
and female genital mutilation.
This year, the European Commission has allocated about €8 million in
projects preventing and combating violence against women and girls within the
EU and €20 million in fighting against harmful practices abroad. The EU
continues to fund humanitarian projects that respond to gender-based violence
in emergencies and crises.
Today, the Berlaymont building is lit in orange in support of the '16 Days
of Activism against Gender-Based Violence' campaign of the UN Secretary
General.
The EU is firmly committed to strengthen its efforts in order to make
gender-based violence a problem of the past.
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