Europe cracks down on violence against women

“No woman should have to fear for her safety when she is walking home. I am incredibly proud of our work to achieve the first ever EU law on violence against women,” stated the EPP Group’s Vice-Chair Frances Fitzgerald MEP, who negotiated the law to combat violence against women and domestic violence on behalf of the European Parliament.

The Parliament will debate today and vote tomorrow to approve this groundbreaking piece of EU legislation aimed at combating these heinous crimes.

"With this law, we have taken the first step towards making Europe the first continent in the world to eradicate violence against women,” Fitzgerald emphasised, underlining the importance of this legislation.

“Although this law does not address everything that the European Parliament would have liked, it takes important steps to prevent, protect and prosecute these crimes,” Fitzgerald added.

The new law marks the first agreement of its kind between the EU institutions and includes measures to prevent rape, stricter rules on cyber violence, and improved support for victims. For the first time, rules criminalising certain forms of online gender-based violence and providing better access to justice, protection, and prevention will apply across the entire EU.

“Now, we need to ensure that all Member States implement these new measures, criminalise the abuse of women and prosecute those responsible,” concluded Fitzgerald.