This is stated in a joint statement signed by Executive Vice President of the European Commission Roxana Mînzatu, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib and High Representative/Vice President Kaja Kallas.
Across the EU, one in three women has experienced gender-based violence. Behind each number stands a person whose life, health and dignity have been violated. Violence against women can take many forms, it can happen anywhere and to anyone.
– Ending this requires action. The EU is taking concrete steps, from prevention and protection to law enforcement and accountability. With the accession of the EU to the Istanbul Convention and the adoption of the first EU law to combat violence against women and domestic violence, the EU establishes a comprehensive framework for the fight against gender-based violence – the announcement states.
Gender-based violence online harms women, silences their voices and threatens our democratic values.
– Our Directive on combating violence against women explicitly criminalizes the most widespread forms of gender-based online violence, such as sharing intimate images without consent, deepfakes, cyberstalking, online harassment and online incitement to gender-based violence and hatred. She…” also ensures that publicly available illegal content on the Internet is quickly removed. For victims of any form of violence against women and domestic violence, the law provides stronger protection and support. We call on all EU member states to quickly transpose this Directive into national legislation, so that women and girls everywhere in our Union can be safer, both online and offline – it was announced.
Eradicating gender-based violence is key.
– In our Roadmap for Women’s Rights, we put “Freedom from gender-based violence” as the first principle, and we will transfer this priority to the upcoming Strategy for Gender Equality 2026-2030. – it was ordered.
Through the EU Strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse and our legislative proposals to criminalize all forms of child sexual abuse and to ensure that online platforms better protect children from sexual abuse, we are stepping up efforts to protect every child, especially girls, who are disproportionately affected.
Our efforts do not stop at the borders of Europe. The EU works globally to end sexual and gender-based violence, in partnership with governments, UN agencies, civil society, women’s rights organisations, peacebuilders and human rights defenders. Through actions like… With the Spotlight initiative and the EU-UN Women ACT program, we invest in real changes.
– We will continue to fully implement the Agenda for Women, Peace and Security in order to build a world where women can live safely and girls can grow up without fear in every community and in every digital space. Ending violence against women and girls is everyone’s responsibility. Together we can and must achieve this – the statement states.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
