«Violence
against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a global epidemic of alarming proportions. It
is estimated that at least one in three women around the world will experience
physical or sexual violence during their life (World Health Organisation).
According to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), 55% of
women in the EU have experienced sexual harassment and one in three since as
young as the age of 15 (FRA, 2014). 85.8% of victims of sexual violence in the
EU are female (Eurostat & the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime,
2017).
Entered into force in 2014, the Istanbul Convention constitutes the most
comprehensive binding international treaty combating Violence against Women
(VAW). While all EU Member States have signed it, to date there remain nine
member states that still have not ratified the Istanbul Convention. In the
aftermath of the #MeToo movement, 2017 has been a year of focused actions
dedicated to ending VAW. Throughout the year the Commission made concerted
efforts to engage with various stakeholders to raise the profile of the issue.
Such initiatives include the launch of the “NON.NO.NEIN” social media campaign
aiming to share information and support, engage and connect all stakeholders in
combating VAW. Moreover, in December 2017 the European Commission, the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Council of
Europe and UN Women issued a joint communiqué confirming their commitment to
work together towards establishing a global alliance to eradicate Violence
against Women and Girls by the end of 2018.
Despite the commitment from various agencies to increase their efforts to
eliminate VAWG, more needs to be done. In recent years the proliferation of
information on the cyber domain and the widespread use of social media have
added a whole new dimension to violence against women and girls, resulting in
Cyber VAWG. It is estimated that one in ten women have already experienced a
form of cyber violence since the age of 15 (European Institute for Gender Equality,
2017). Even though the European Commission has undertaken actions to address
the current lack of data quantifying the prevalence of cyber violence, legal
frameworks are not yet clearly defined. Developing strategies to address the
issue must continue to be a policy priority.
This International Symposium will provide a timely opportunity to discuss how
to best strengthen efforts, monitor and evaluate the progress made and promote
examples of good practice for preventing and combating violence against women
and girls. It will also facilitate the exchange of ideas and encourage
delegates to engage in thought-provoking and topical debate with local and
regional practitioners and policy makers at EU level».
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