Working Group – Violence against Women and Domestic Violence
In March 2022, the European Commission presented a proposal for a new EU Directive on Violence... View more
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Have your say: Feedback consultation for proposal on Violence against Women
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Have your say: Feedback consultation for proposal on Violence against Women
Dear all,
On 8 March 2022 (International Women’s Day), the European Commission published a legislative proposal on Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (VAW/DV). This legislative proposal proposes the criminalisation of certain forms of VAW (such as rape based on lack of consent, cyber stalking and harassment, cyber incitement to violence or hatred) and sets standards for measures of prevention, protection, support, access to justice and compensation for victims (see VSE press release).
A feedback consultation has recently been launched by the Commission – open until 18 May -, to provide feedback on the proposal. While we are aware that many of you will be involved in the discussions around the Victims’ Rights Directive already, we encourage you to provide feedback and share your views with us if you have the time. When adopted, this Directive will have an important impact on the Member States’ obligations regarding the provision of protection and support to victims of VAW/DV, consequently impacting your work.
To facilitate exchange of views and discussions, this Working Group has been open, where more information about the proposal, an initial analysis of its content and topics of discussion will be posted. Later this year, the proposal will be shared with the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, opening a period of negotiations on the text. In the next months and as VSE develops its advocacy priorities and strategy for the negotiations, the Hub’s Working Group will be used for further consultation and collect of additional feedback, data and information to that end.
If you have any question, suggestion or comment, please feel free to add comments to that discussion or contact me by private message or at [email protected].
We are looking forward to hearing back from you!
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1 Reply
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Dear members,
You will find below some of the points VSE will raise in its reply to the Commission’s feedback consultation – our full reply will be posted in the next days. We’d be very interested to hear your views on the Directive and in particular on:
– The definition of offences
– The reporting of crime by professionals, including healthcare professionals
– The implementation of individual assessment of support needs
– The mandatory one-stop shop approach for victims of VAW/DV
– The introduction of 116 016 European helpline for victims of VAW/DV
Overall, VSE particularly welcomes the Directive’s level of details in its provisions and the inclusion of healthcare and social services professionals in its provisions – and welcomes the inclusion of provisions around safe reporting, individual needs assessment and referrals, training, and coordination and cooperation measures, in line with VSE’s National Victim Support Framework approach.
The following are some of the points we will raise:
– Regrets the gendered definition of rape (while we understand the reason linked to the legal basis), and the absence of offences on sexual and reproductive rights and health.
– Reporting of all cases of violence by professionals, including healthcare professionals, should not be mandatory; circumstances in which it should be mandatory or just allowed should be further defined in the text (including for child victims).
– Lack of provisions aiming at ensuring the safety of the victims when collecting compensation from the offender – e.g. pre-payment scheme by the State and body collecting compensation from the offender.
– Lack of provisions on the provision of information to victims during criminal proceedings, on updates and decisions about the case and escape or release of the offender from detention.
– While understanding that one-stop shops are a good practice, highlight the risks of making such centres a mandatory first steps as it might not be adapted to all victims’ needs and to the context of all Member States.
– Need for follow up measures, including funding to ensure the implementation of the 110 016 European helpline, in coordination and without prejudicing the implementation of the 116 006 helpline for all victims of all crimes.
– Regrets the lack of more specific provisions on preventive measures, in particular on education measures, fundamental measures to target VAW and its root causes.
– Encourage the coordination with civil society organisations, not only in implementing preventive measures and trainings but also in developing and implementing them, including trainings to law enforcement.
– Data collection to include not only information about the victim, the offender and type offence, but also the type of sanctions adopted, the length of the proceedings for instance and should look at evaluating/including the victims’ perspective/experience within the justice system.
We are looking forward to hearing your views and will post more detailed elements in the next days!
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