European Commission fed up with gender-based violence in the world!

In a joint statement issued yesterday on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the European Commission to Beirut warned “enough is enough” in response to the continuous suffering of women inside the EU states and across the globe. The statement said that women are still beaten and are sexually and economically abused, raped or harassed on the streets or at the workplace. One out of 3 women in the European Union are exposed to countless forms of gender based violence, the statement said, pointing that 25% of women in the EU are subjected to sexual or physical violence from the age of 15, with many cases going unreported. The European Commission stressed the need to step up efforts to combat all forms of violence against women through challenging stereotypes that undermine women while evidencing that violence against women is intolerable. The Commission also stated that girls and women are considered vulnerable during conflicts and emergency situations, especially with the mounting incidents of aggression, extortion, exploitation and trafficking, as well as, other forms of gender based violence. Additionally, the EU statement noted that women and girls, particularly coming from foreign countries after a dangerous journey, face risks of violence from smugglers and emigrants, and even from the official authorities in some states. “We shall spare no effort to change the circumstances,” the EU statement said, mentioning that some 3.4 million girls, women, boys and men from around the world are expected to benefit from relevant humanitarian programs. As part of the EU 2016-2020 Gender Action Plan in the framework of external relations, “We shall continue to support girls and women who are subject to violation of their rights all over the world,” the EU statement added. Today, the European Commission is launching a set of activities for 2017 in this direction, and has allocated a sum of 10 million euros to support efforts for the prevention of gender based violence and its victims inside the EU states, the statement concluded. (Al Diyar, November 25, 2016)