Irish Presidency of the European Union turns the political spotlight on all forms of Violence Agains

Published: Monday, May 24, 2004

The EU Presidency turned its attention to tackling Violence Against Women in Dublin Castle today. With a focus on women's human rights, the two-day conference is providing a forum, for representatives from 25 countries, to prioritise actions to increase the safety of women and to hold violent men accountable.

The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) welcomes the fact that the conference focus is inclusive of all forms of violence against women; rape and sexual assault, domestic violence, prostitution and trafficking and pornography. Mary Kelly, Chairwoman of the NWCI, who was in attendance at the conference today, welcomed this focus saying; ''the impact of male violence against women is an atrocity, fracturing women's and children's lives with devastating effect''.

Responding to the launch of the first ever report of the Irish Observatory on Violence Against Women, which has a particular focus on prostitution and trafficking, she added; ''Irish Laws governing prostitution are primarily public order offences to protect the public against soliciting. What we need are laws, similar to that in Sweden, which criminalise the demand side of the sex industry.''

The European Women's Lobby (EWL), the largest co-ordinating body of women's organisations in the EU, supported the call from the conference, for the EU to develop a legal basis for combating violence against women. Speaking in support of the proposal, Lydia La Riviere Zijdel, President of the EWL, commented; ''we need a legal base in the European Union in order to combat Violence Against Women. We need a legal tool, effective at a European wide level to strengthen our capacity to protect women and hold all perpetrators to account.''