Brussels, 7 February 2024 (MIA) - The Belgian presidency and European Parliament agreed on a first-ever EU law on violence against women and domestic violence.

The new law lays down minimum rules concerning the definition of specific criminal offences and penalties to address this form of violence. It also sets out rights of victims of all forms of violence against women or domestic violence, and provides for their protection, according to the MIA’s Brussels correspondent.

Paul Van Tigchelt, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and the North Sea, said that for many women in Europe, sexual violence, domestic violence, street harassment or online abuse are daily threats.

Moreover, according to him, women all too often pay with their lives for relationship breakups. Even forced marriages and genital mutilation have not been completely eradicated from our society.

“We must put an end to this. With the new directive, the member states are taking important steps to collectively stand up against these severe crimes, both through an emphasis on prevention and consistent punishment,” Van Tigchelt said.

According to the Belgian Secretary of State for Gender Equality Marie-Colline Leroy, this is a big step forward to better protect women and girls from violence, whether at home, at work, on our streets, off-line or on-line.

“The directive has a strong chapter on prevention to act against underlying patterns of coercion, power and control and takes specific rape prevention measures member states are sending a strong message: we no longer accept that if you are a woman you are more at risk than if you are a man,” Leroy said.

The new law would criminalise the following offences across the EU: female genital mutilation; forced marriage; non-consensual sharing of intimate images; cyber stalking; cyber harassment; cyber incitement to hatred or violence.

Once adopted, the new law will set common rules on the definition of those offences and related penalties.

The directive will also introduce aggravating circumstances such as the repeated exercise of violence against women, committing an act of violence against a vulnerable person or a child and using extreme levels of violence.

The new law will also make it easier for victims of these crimes to access justice and obliges member states to provide an appropriate level of specialised protection and support.

When children are victims of such wrongdoings, EU countries will have to ensure that they are assisted by professionals trained to work with children. And if the act of violence involves the holder of parental responsibility, reporting must not be conditional upon this person’s consent.

In order to protect a victim’s privacy and prevent repeat victimisation, member states must also ensure that evidence relating to the victim’s past sexual conduct should only be permitted in criminal proceedings when it is relevant and necessary.

The directive also foresees that victims will have the right to claim full compensation from offenders for damages resulting from the offence of violence against women or domestic violence.  Victims should also be able to obtain compensation in the context of criminal proceedings where appropriate.

According to the agreement, specialised support services, such as rape crisis centres, must be available to victims to offer advice and support, provide information about access to legal counselling, and provide help into finding shelters and medical care.

Member states must furthermore make a national telephone helpline available that victims of violence can reach 24/7, free of charge.

The Council presidency and EU Parliament agreed that EU countries must take appropriate actions – such as targeted awareness-raising campaigns – to prevent violence against women and domestic violence. These preventive measures are geared towards increasing awareness and understanding among the general public of the different manifestations and root causes of all forms of violence against women and domestic violence, as well as towards challenging harmful gender stereotypes and promoting gender equality and mutual respect.

“Violence against women and girls is one of the most systematic and common human rights violations globally. The directive that presidency and European Parliament agreed on will be the first legal instrument which specifically targets violence against women and domestic violence at EU level,” the Council of the EU said in a press release.

Photo: MIA archive