EU Commission Proposes Laws To Combat Violence Against Women

The European Commission has proposed European Union-wide rules to fight violence against women, to protect and support victims and to prevent such violence in the first place.

Unveiling its plan on International Women’s Day, the EU’s executive proposed that, across the bloc’s 27 countries, rape would be criminalised, based purely on the lack of consent and irrespective of whether force and threats were used.

It also proposed criminalising female genital mutilation, cyber-stalking, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, cyber-harassment and cyber-incitement to hatred or violence.

According to European Commission data, one in three women in the EU has experienced some form of violence, and while the offences are already crimes in the vast majority of member states, there are gaps in national laws of some countries and legal frameworks differ.

Half of women in the EU have experienced sexual harassment and one in 20 report having been raped, the EU’s executive said, while online violence is also rising, aimed in particular at women in public life such as journalists and politicians.

Half of young women experience gender-based cyber violence and about a third of women have faced sexual harassment at work.

Under the proposed laws, victims would have the right to claim full compensation from offenders for damages, including the costs of healthcare, support services, lost income, physical and psychological harm.

They should also be able to obtain compensation in the course of criminal proceedings. EU countries would have to provide dedicated services, including rape crisis centres.