"It is time to overcome hesitation as to whether the EU level is relevant to the improvement of policies to combat violence against women", says Sylvia Walby, UNESCO Chair in Gender Research, based at Lancaster University. Together with Colette de Troy, Director for the EWL European Policy Action Centre on Violence, she explains the importance of cooperation in the area of violence against women, which will be discussed during a conference in Stockholm on 9 November.
A good deal still remains to be done in order to achieve gender equality and ensure women their human rights. Why is it particularly important to discuss violence against women?
Sylvia Walby: Violence against women is both cause and consequence of gender inequality and is recognised by the UN as a violation of women's human rights. Violence has a terrible impact on women's well-being. While the existence of this violence is becoming well-known, policies to reduce and eliminate the violence are still under development.
Colette de Troy: When including all forms of gender-based against women, 45 per cent of all women in Europe have been subjected to, and suffered from men's violence. One in five women in Europe has been subjected to male domestic violence, that is, in her own home or by an (ex) partner. More than one tenth of all women have suffered sexual violence as defined in its most narrow sense. However, the reporting and conviction rates of sexual violence are still very low, reflecting the perpetuation of stereotypes and of cultural representations that imply that male violence against women is a private matter, or that women are to blame for it.
In which area has the work of Member States been the most far-reaching? Could you give an example of what this work may contain?
SW: The provision of specialist services to survivors of violence was the most significant early development. These primarily included shelters for women fleeing domestic violence and phone lines for those who had been raped, often starting as non-governmental organisations. In the best cases, these services have received public funds to develop and establish a wider range of services to broader groups of women. The development of well-funded national plans in some Member States to coordinate work and funding in this field is the most far-reaching aspect of recent developments.
CT: Some Member States have shown particular political progress in addressing male violence against women. Should the European Union draw inspiration from the best legal examples within its Member States, the result would guarantee the full protection of women's human rights and the eradication of all forms of male violence against women. For example, Spain is now regarded as the ‘leader' with regard to domestic gender-based violence since it passed an integrated law on gender violence in 2004. Moreover, Sweden is very well known for its law on prostitution, which defines prostitution as a form of male violence and addresses the main roots of prostitution, namely the demand to buy women's bodies - the law therefore penalises the client, and helps to dismantle the prostitutional system.
What does cooperation at EU level consist of today as regards men's violence against women?
CT: Cooperation between Member States at the EU level is very weak as regards men's violence against women. The European Parliament and the European Commission have tried to deliver measures and recommendations on the issue, but support from the European Council is difficult to obtain and there is no commitment to really implement the proposals. As a consequence of this, the protection of women from male violence varies widely from country to country, as do the services they can access.
SW: Violence against women as a policy field is on the margins of EU-level policy making at the moment. There is much cooperation among experts across the EU in practice, and some development of state plans and policies, but there have not yet been very many instances of EU-level interventions in this field.
Could you give an example of how cooperation at EU level has strengthened the Member States' work nationally?
SW: The EU-funded Daphne programme has supported the exchange of innovative policy practices to combat violence against women among the EU Member States, especially among expert non-governmental providers of services. This exchange and development of knowledge and expertise has been very important in facilitating the spread and improvement of policies in many aspects of the policy field related to violence against women. The Daphne programme has been a major success.
CT: Contrary to the member states, NGOs are working together at EU level in order to exchange good practices, to raise the visibility of the different forms of violence and to support each other in their pressure for better policies. The Daphne programme has encouraged this cooperation.
What are your expectations of the conference? What would you like to see as an outcome?
CT: We call on the various stakeholders involved in the conference to commit to a strategy leading to a concrete EU Action Plan on all forms of male violence against women. This European Action Plan, with specific funding, should express an enhanced holistic understanding of male violence against women. The minimum necessary at EU level is a broad European legal definition of violence against women that would affect criminal and civil law definitions, in order to ensure a coordinated approach and the harmonisation of domestic legal systems.
SW: It is time to overcome hesitation as to whether the EU level is relevant to the improvement of policies to combat violence against women. The EU potentially has much to contribute, to build on the exchange of expertise facilitated by the EU Daphne programme. I look forward to discussion and recommendations on issues including the following:
•Should the EU develop a Directive on policy to combat violence against women?
•Will the Lisbon Treaty, if ratified, provide a stronger legal basis for the development of EU-level interventions on violence against women?
•Should there be EU-wide collection of data on the extent and impact of violence against women, which would be comparable across Member States?