Brussels: Europe and Arabs
On the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, the European Commission and the Office of the Foreign Policy Coordinator issued the following statement:

"All forms of violence against women are despicable. They are a violation of human rights and undermine our fundamental values.
Women around the world continue to suffer unspeakable violence – physical, sexual, psychological and economic – online and offline. Women and girls also bear the brunt of the immediate and lasting violent effects of war and conflict, resulting in disproportionate economic hardship. The situation is particularly dramatic in the context of humanitarian crises, where conflict-related sexual violence and human trafficking often go unreported.

Following the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention, the most ambitious and comprehensive standards for preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, this year we adopted the first ever EU law to effectively combat violence against women and domestic violence, which complements existing legislation in Member States.

We now have additional tools to combat this violence, both online and offline, to ensure that women and girls are safe and live without fear, and to provide targeted support services to victims, and hold perpetrators accountable. We call on all Member States to swiftly put in place these strong measures. Our commitment to ending violence against women worldwide is a key priority for the EU’s external action, particularly in the EU’s role as a major humanitarian donor. We reaffirm our strong commitment to the immediate elimination of violence against women and girls, in cooperation with partner countries, civil society, women’s rights groups and human rights defenders.”
The EU’s Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 commits the EU to preventing and combating gender-based violence. In May 2024, the EU adopted the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence. The Directive aims to provide a comprehensive framework for effectively preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence across the EU. The Commission has done so by introducing definitions of certain criminal offences (cybercrime, female genital mutilation and forced marriage), strengthening protection and support for victims, facilitating their access to justice, and enhancing prevention, data collection, coordination and cooperation.
In October 2023, the EU acceded to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention. It is the most comprehensive international legal instrument to establish binding obligations to prevent and combat violence against women and girls. In parallel, the Commission has already achieved most of the actions under its Victims’ Rights Strategy (2020-2025). The aim of the strategy is to ensure that all victims in the EU can fully enjoy their rights under EU law. In July 2023, the Commission adopted a proposal for a directive to amend the 2012 Victims’ Rights Directive, strengthening the rights of all victims of crime across the EU. The European Commission also published a rapid barometer of gender stereotypes in relation to violence against women. Across the EU, 92% of respondents consider it unacceptable for a man to occasionally slap his wife or girlfriend. 82% of respondents also consider it unacceptable for men to grope, stare, shout or whistle at women. 73% disagree with the idea that women often fabricate or exaggerate allegations of assault or rape. On 25 November, Eurostat, the Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union and the European Institute for Gender Equality will present the results of a joint survey on gender-based violence in the EU.
The European Commission provides funding for projects and organisations that address gender-based violence through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values ​​Programme. €23 million will be made available in 2025 under the Daphne Programme to support transnational actions that address and prevent violence against children and gender-based violence in the domestic sphere and in intimate relationships, as well as those that protect and support survivors of gender-based violence, including in child protection systems.
At international level, the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy (2020-2024) and the Action Plan on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in External Action, running until 2027, constitute an ambitious framework for the EU to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women.
The European Union, as co-leader of the Generation Equality Forum Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence, will continue its efforts to reduce gender-based violence worldwide. Six years after its launch, the initial phase of the Spotlight Initiative has been fully implemented in five regions. Its success has led to the initiative being selected as one of the 12 “High Impact Initiatives” for its impact on all Sustainable Development Goals. As the initiative enters its next phase, the EU will continue to invest in preventing gender-based violence worldwide. As every year, the European Commission and the European External Action Service are participating in the “Orange the World” campaign launched by UN Women. On the evening of 24 November, the European Commission’s headquarters, the Berlaymont Building, will be lit up in orange