Regrettable lack of a consensus-based definition of rape
Strasbourg (OTS) – Monika Vana, head of the delegation of the Austrian Greens in the European Parliament, on today’s adoption of the directive on violence against women and domestic violence: “By agreeing on the directive, the EU is setting a milestone: it provides a legal basis to end violence against women and girls “To be able to combat effectively at EU level and defines new minimum standards for many member states, even in areas where there is sometimes no legislation at all.”
“The new directive criminalizes forced marriage, FGM and forced sterilization, as well as violent crimes in virtual space, such as cyberstalking and image sharing. It is thanks to the persistence of us Greens/EFA that increased victim protection in criminal justice procedures and consideration of intersectional discrimination were able to be anchored in the directive. Another “Green Win” is the recognition of endangering circumstances for journalists, public representatives or human rights defenders – an important signal against the silencing of women in public spaces,” says Vana about the democratic policy implications of the directive.
“What is fatal, however, is that there was no agreement on the definition of “rape” based on the consensus principle. The fact that our ambitious position as the European Parliament of “only yes means yes” failed at the Council makes pushing forward with the inclusion of gender-based violence in the list of EU criminal offenses all the more urgent. For this and for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in all member states, it is important that the EU Parliament appears united in the coming legislative period,” said Vana and concluded by pointing to the adopted revision of the directive against human trafficking as another women’s policy success of the last plenary week: ” The EU is thus increasingly putting a stop to exploitative working relationships, sexual assaults and gender-specific discrimination.”
Questions & Contact:
Green Club in Parliament
Sophia Giovanett
Press spokesperson Dr. Monika Vana MEP
sophia.giovanett@europarl.europa.eu
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