A report co-authored by Esquerra’s Diana Riba, which calls for the inclusion of gender-based violence in the list of European crimes, has been approved by a broad majority in committee
A substantial majority in the European Parliament’s LIBE Civil Liberties and FEMM Gender Equality Committees have approved a report on gender-based violence authored by Esquerra’s Diana Riba, a member of the Greens/EFA parliamentary group, and Swedish MEP Malin Björk of the GUE/NGL United Left. The draft calls for the amendment of Article 83 of the Treaties in order to include this type of violence in the list of Eurocrimes. This list includes particularly serious crimes with a cross-border dimension resulting from the nature or impact of such offences needing to be faced on a common basis. The report is expected to be voted on in a plenary session next September.
This small amendment in the European legislation would have very profound consequences in practice, as it would allow for the establishment of definitions and rules, and even minimum and common criminal measures throughout the European territory. For Ms Riba, it is important that this step is taken urgently, as “at this momentous time, as we witness an increasingly well-organized attack on gender equality and women’s rights, the response of our institutions must be forceful; we cannot wait.”
We witness an increasingly well-organized attack on gender equality and women’s rights, the response of our institutions must be forceful; we cannot waitDiana Riba
Furthermore, the MEP also points out that the amendment to Article 83 should serve as a legal basis for the Directive on Gender-Based Violence that the European Commission has promised to put forward during this legislature. Ms Riba explains that “Esquerra and the Greens/EFA group are pushing to get the proposed Directive through within 2021 and, for it to be holistic, inclusive and effective, it must be accompanied by all the measures we call for in this report.”
And although the Directive may be very effective in implementing measures of prevention, support or training in line with the provisions of the Istanbul Convention, it would not address the criminal part of gender-based violence without this prior amendment of Article 83. Which is why Ms Riba is urging all European institutions to turn this 2021 into “a key year against gender violence by approving a historically important legislative package to end this scourge.”
