Policy Voices | EU Directive on violence against women was a missed opportunity

Published: March 8, 2024, 5:02 a.m.

Exactly two years ago, on International Women\u2019s Day, the European Commission proposed a EU Directive to combat violence against women and domestic violence. This new initiative was groundbreaking because, for the first time, it was proposing a common definition of rape based on consent but, in the end, the justice ministers of France and Germany blocked the inclusion of this clause.\n\nThe European Women\u2019s Lobby has been advocating for a EU-wide legislation tackling violence against women for decades and finally, such legislation is in the final steps of approval. On International Women\u2019s Day, host Catarina Vila Nova speaks with Irene Rosales, Policy and Campaigns Officer at the European Women\u2019s Lobby, about the significance of this EU directive.\n\nAlthough not including the consent-based definition of rape is considered a \u201cmissed opportunity\u201d, among other clauses that didn\u2019t make it to the final version, Rosales still highlights how important this directive is, as the first comprehensive legal instrument at the EU level to tackle violence against women, as she explains in this episode of Policy Voices.\n\nIf you want to comment on this episode you can send us an e-mail. Our address is press@friendsofeurope.org