By Martha Moss - 16th March 2010
Parliament president Jerzy Buzek has called on the EU to do more to protect victims of gender-based violence.
Speaking at a public hearing on Tuesday, organised as part of international women's day, Buzek said that the EU has to "start acting, not only discussing" how to tackle violence against women.
He told participants, including national MPs, EU parliamentarians and women's rights campaigners, that domestic violence is a "crime against women and against the basic rules of humanity".
Buzek highlighted figures showing that one in four adult European women experience physical violence, and one in 10 are subject to sexual abuse at least once in their life.
"Violence against women is a violation of fundamental human rights," he said. "A society which allows violence to exist becomes a brutal society and is not the type of society in which we wish to live."
He added, "Violence against women is nothing new, but what is new is that we are talking about it and trying to overcome the fears and feelings of helplessness."
Participants also wanted to see a EU-wide approach to tackling violence against women, and Buzek called for Europol, the European police organisation, to start dealing with the issue.
Eva-Britt Svensson, chair of parliament's women's rights committee, said, "It's important for us to demonstrate that it is possible for us to fight against gender based violence.
"There are so many women that live in constant fear of abuse, under constant threat.
"We have to build awareness about what the situation is and have to demonstrate that we can stop this violence.
"It's not just possible - it's necessary if we are to build an equal society for women, men and children."
The Swedish deputy told reporters that parliament's resolution on the elimination of violence against women, adopted in November 2009, represented the first steps towards stopping gender-based violence.
The resolution, which calls for legislation to combat violence against women, says that the EU should guarantee support for all victims and urges member states to recognise sexual violence and rape, including within marriage, as a crime.
Buzek welcomed that the Spanish presidency has made tackling gender-based violence a priority.
And Spanish equality minister Bibiana Aído Almagro highlighted what Madrid had done on the issue, including the European Observatory, an EU-wide hotline to assist victims, and the European protection order.
"Violence against women is a common challenge and this is only a starting point," she said.
Speaking at the same event, Inés Alberdi, the executive director of the UN's development fund for women (Unifem), highlighted difficulties in implementing existing measures.
However, she praised the EU parliament for demonstrating that it "is now ready to carry out stringent efforts in tackling violence".
"Fundamental changes in ways of perceiving relations between men and women" are needed if the EU wants to eliminate gender-based violence, she added.
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.