BETA


2009/2681(RSP) Resolution on the elimination of violence against women

Progress: Procedure completed

Legal Basis:
RoP 136-p5

Events

2010/03/29
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2009/11/26
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2009/11/26
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

Following the debate which took place during the sitting of 25 November 2009 the European Parliament adopted a resolution tabled by the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality on the elimination of violence against women. It notes that men's violence against women is not only a public health problem, but also an aspect of inequality between women and men, which is an area in which the EU has the mandate to take action. Men’s violence against women is a structural and widespread problem, a phenomenon affecting victims and perpetrators irrespective of age, education, income or social position, and is linked to the unequal distribution of power between women and men in our society.

Parliament urges Member States to improve their national laws and policies to combat all forms of violence against women, in particular through the development of comprehensive national action plans , and including concrete measures to prevent male violence, protect victims and prosecute perpetrators.

Members note that there is a pressing need to introduce a comprehensive legal instrument aimed at combating all forms of violence against women in Europe, including trafficking in women. They urge the Council and Commission to establish a clear legal basis for combating all forms of violence against women , including trafficking. The Commission is asked to start work on drafting a proposal for a comprehensive directive on action to prevent and combat all forms of violence against women.

The resolution calls for the creation of mechanisms to facilitate access for women who are victims of gender violence or trafficking networks to free legal aid enabling them to assert their rights throughout the Union. It insists on the need to improve cooperation among legal professionals and the exchange of best practices, and to find ways of eliminating obstacles to the recognition of legal acts in other Member States, including sentences for gender-violence offences and injunctions against violent men.

Parliament also calls on the Commission, Member States and the EU, as appropriate, to do the following:

to submit a more coherent EU policy plan to combat all forms of violence against women, as stated in the Commission communication "A Roadmap for equality between women and men 2006-2010" , to include measures to combat and prevent violence against women in its action programme for equal opportunities for 2011-2016;

to organise a high-level conference to be attended by representatives of political bodies, civil society and social organisations, with the aim of developing more coherent policies addressing all forms of violence against women; to guarantee the right to assistance for all victims of violence , regardless of the victim's nationality, and protection of female victims of domestic violence whose legal status might depend on their partner; to set up mechanisms to ensure that the gender-equality analysis of trafficking in human beings is part of all laws and policies aimed at combating trafficking; to ensure that female victims of violence have proper access to legal aid and to protection, irrespective of their nationality and the nature of their involvement in police investigations; to act to tackle the causes of violence against women, not least by employing preventive measures and undertaking awareness campaigns on the different forms that such violence can take; to embark on concerted action, including information campaigns, on domestic violence, as well as strategies aimed at changing the social stereotyping of women through education and the media; to address violence against women and the gender-related dimension of human rights violations internationally, in particular in the context of the bilateral association and international trade agreements in force and those under negotiation. Parliament deplores the lack of a meaningful gender dimension in the compulsory sustainability impact assessments which are carried out prior to the conclusion of such agreements, let alone any acknowledgement of the issue of sexual violence, and of a set of tools to analyse gender impact.

The resolution calls upon Member States to do the following:

to have due regard for the specific circumstances of certain categories of women who are particularly vulnerable to violence, inter alia, women belonging to minorities and female immigrants; to step up measures to prevent gender-based violence among young people by providing for targeted education campaigns and better cooperation among stakeholders; to provide assistance, under appropriate national programmes and financing schemes, to voluntary bodies which offer shelter and psychological support to female victims of violence; to introduce a coherent system for collecting statistics on violence against women, in close cooperation with the European Institute for Gender Equality; to recognise sexual violence and rape against women, including within marriage and intimate informal relationships and/or where committed by male relatives, as a crime in cases where the victim did not give consent, and to ensure that such offences result in automatic prosecution. Member States must reject any reference to cultural, or religious practices as a mitigating factor in cases of violence against women, including so-called 'crimes of honour' and female genital mutilation; to take measures to stop female genital mutilation , and either to implement specific legal provisions on female genital mutilation or to adopt such laws and prosecute all persons who conduct genital mutilation; to investigate the extreme human rights abuses against Roma women , penalise the perpetrators and provide adequate compensation to victims of forced sterilisation.

Lastly, Parliament calls for records concerning gender-based violence to play a central role within the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS).

Documents
2009/11/26
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2009/11/25
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2009/11/25
   EP - Debate in Parliament
Details

O-0096/2009

O-0097/2009

2009/11/23
   EP - Oral question/interpellation by Parliament
Documents
2009/11/23
   EP - Oral question/interpellation by Parliament
Documents

Documents

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

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EP
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  • date: 2009-11-25T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20091125&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament body: EP type: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2009-11-26T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=17690&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2009-98 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0098/2009 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
commission
  • body: EC dg: Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion commissioner: ŠPIDLA Vladimír
committees
    docs
    • date: 2009-11-23T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2009-220&language=EN title: B7-0220/2009 type: Oral question/interpellation by Parliament body: EP
    • date: 2009-11-23T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2009-221&language=EN title: B7-0221/2009 type: Oral question/interpellation by Parliament body: EP
    • date: 2009-11-25T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B7-2009-139&language=EN title: B7-0139/2009 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2010-03-29T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=17690&j=0&l=en title: SP(2010)793/2 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
    events
    • date: 2009-11-25T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20091125&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament summary: O-0096/2009 O-0097/2009
    • date: 2009-11-26T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=17690&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
    • date: 2009-11-26T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2009-98 title: T7-0098/2009 summary: Following the debate which took place during the sitting of 25 November 2009 the European Parliament adopted a resolution tabled by the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality on the elimination of violence against women. It notes that men's violence against women is not only a public health problem, but also an aspect of inequality between women and men, which is an area in which the EU has the mandate to take action. Men’s violence against women is a structural and widespread problem, a phenomenon affecting victims and perpetrators irrespective of age, education, income or social position, and is linked to the unequal distribution of power between women and men in our society. Parliament urges Member States to improve their national laws and policies to combat all forms of violence against women, in particular through the development of comprehensive national action plans , and including concrete measures to prevent male violence, protect victims and prosecute perpetrators. Members note that there is a pressing need to introduce a comprehensive legal instrument aimed at combating all forms of violence against women in Europe, including trafficking in women. They urge the Council and Commission to establish a clear legal basis for combating all forms of violence against women , including trafficking. The Commission is asked to start work on drafting a proposal for a comprehensive directive on action to prevent and combat all forms of violence against women. The resolution calls for the creation of mechanisms to facilitate access for women who are victims of gender violence or trafficking networks to free legal aid enabling them to assert their rights throughout the Union. It insists on the need to improve cooperation among legal professionals and the exchange of best practices, and to find ways of eliminating obstacles to the recognition of legal acts in other Member States, including sentences for gender-violence offences and injunctions against violent men. Parliament also calls on the Commission, Member States and the EU, as appropriate, to do the following: to submit a more coherent EU policy plan to combat all forms of violence against women, as stated in the Commission communication "A Roadmap for equality between women and men 2006-2010" , to include measures to combat and prevent violence against women in its action programme for equal opportunities for 2011-2016; to organise a high-level conference to be attended by representatives of political bodies, civil society and social organisations, with the aim of developing more coherent policies addressing all forms of violence against women; to guarantee the right to assistance for all victims of violence , regardless of the victim's nationality, and protection of female victims of domestic violence whose legal status might depend on their partner; to set up mechanisms to ensure that the gender-equality analysis of trafficking in human beings is part of all laws and policies aimed at combating trafficking; to ensure that female victims of violence have proper access to legal aid and to protection, irrespective of their nationality and the nature of their involvement in police investigations; to act to tackle the causes of violence against women, not least by employing preventive measures and undertaking awareness campaigns on the different forms that such violence can take; to embark on concerted action, including information campaigns, on domestic violence, as well as strategies aimed at changing the social stereotyping of women through education and the media; to address violence against women and the gender-related dimension of human rights violations internationally, in particular in the context of the bilateral association and international trade agreements in force and those under negotiation. Parliament deplores the lack of a meaningful gender dimension in the compulsory sustainability impact assessments which are carried out prior to the conclusion of such agreements, let alone any acknowledgement of the issue of sexual violence, and of a set of tools to analyse gender impact. The resolution calls upon Member States to do the following: to have due regard for the specific circumstances of certain categories of women who are particularly vulnerable to violence, inter alia, women belonging to minorities and female immigrants; to step up measures to prevent gender-based violence among young people by providing for targeted education campaigns and better cooperation among stakeholders; to provide assistance, under appropriate national programmes and financing schemes, to voluntary bodies which offer shelter and psychological support to female victims of violence; to introduce a coherent system for collecting statistics on violence against women, in close cooperation with the European Institute for Gender Equality; to recognise sexual violence and rape against women, including within marriage and intimate informal relationships and/or where committed by male relatives, as a crime in cases where the victim did not give consent, and to ensure that such offences result in automatic prosecution. Member States must reject any reference to cultural, or religious practices as a mitigating factor in cases of violence against women, including so-called 'crimes of honour' and female genital mutilation; to take measures to stop female genital mutilation , and either to implement specific legal provisions on female genital mutilation or to adopt such laws and prosecute all persons who conduct genital mutilation; to investigate the extreme human rights abuses against Roma women , penalise the perpetrators and provide adequate compensation to victims of forced sterilisation. Lastly, Parliament calls for records concerning gender-based violence to play a central role within the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS).
    • date: 2009-11-26T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
    links
    other
    • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/social/ title: Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion commissioner: ŠPIDLA Vladimír
    procedure/legal_basis/0
    Rules of Procedure EP 128-p5
    procedure/legal_basis/0
    Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 128-p5
    procedure/subject
    Old
    • 4.10.09 Women condition and rights
    • 4.10.25 Social problems: delinquency, violence, crime, prostitution
    New
    4.10.09
    Women condition and rights
    4.10.25
    Social problems: delinquency, violence, crime
    procedure/subtype
    Old
    Debate or resolution on oral questions
    New
    Debate or resolution on oral question/interpellation
    activities
    • date: 2009-11-25T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20091125&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament body: EP type: Debate in Parliament
    • date: 2009-11-26T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=17690&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2009-98 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0098/2009 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
    committees
      links
      other
      • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/social/ title: Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion commissioner: ŠPIDLA Vladimír
      procedure
      reference
      2009/2681(RSP)
      title
      Resolution on the elimination of violence against women
      legal_basis
      Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 128-p5
      stage_reached
      Procedure completed
      subtype
      Debate or resolution on oral questions
      type
      RSP - Resolutions on topical subjects
      subject