Press Statement from Frances Fitzgerald MEP
Sunday 25th November 2022
Frances Fitzgerald calls for EU action on violence against women on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Dublin MEP Frances Fitzgerald has called for agreement on new EU legislation to tackle violence against women. Friday, 25 November is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and marks the beginning of 16 days of United Nations activism on the issue. Frances Fitzgerald MEP is the rapporteur (lead negotiator) for a proposed new EU law on violence against women. The law will ensure that such offences will be a crime everywhere in the European Union, and punishable to the same standards.
In a speech to the European Parliament, Frances Fitzgerald MEP said, "We are in the midst of a shadow pandemic, where domestic violence, sexual assault and FGM are commonplace in our society. Why do we allow this to continue? We must have a unified response to tackling violence against women, as we have done with the Covid crisis.
"850,000 lives are lost to violence against women globally every ten years- the equivalent to a city the size of Marseilles, Amsterdam or Zagreb disappearing from the earth. If the Member States had ratified the Istanbul Convention 10 years ago, thousands of women’s lives would have been saved.
"Some of you will remember Ashling Murphy, a young woman from Ireland, who was brutally murdered as she jogged in broad daylight in January of this year. Ashling represents thousands of victims of violence against women across this Union.
"As rapporteur on the Directive on Violence against Women, I am working to ensure women across the Union are protected. This will protect millions of young women and girls across our Union.
"Men and women must work together to tackle this issue. We desperately need male champions to help us to eliminate violence against women. This is not just a women’s issue, it is a human rights issue.
"As International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women is marked, I am calling on you, colleagues, to fight for protection for millions of victims of violence against women."
ENDS
