Historic decision – the directive to combat violence against women was adopted: “Such incidents are not always taken seriously by law enforcement”

The directive includes not only stronger support for victims of violence, steps to prevent sexual abuse, but also measures to combat gender-based violence in cyberspace. The provisions of this directive will have to be transposed into the Lithuanian legal system within three years.

Gender-based violence is one of the biggest gender inequality issues worldwide, with an estimated 8 out of 10 victims of domestic violence being women. For this reason, the legal act, which must be implemented by the member states, is considered a historic step towards gender equality and reducing violence in society.

Jolita Miliuvienė, Deputy Controller of Equal Opportunities, the Seimas Controller, states that the initiative of the EU institutions in the field of combating violence against women can be considered as an additional means to achieve the goals of the Istanbul Convention, which has still not been ratified by five EU member states, including Lithuania.

“The new EU directive supports the international obligations assumed by the states and complements them. We are glad that Lithuania will no longer be able to avoid the strengthened protection against violence against women and domestic violence. At the same time, it should be noted that this does not mean that the issue of ratifying the Istanbul Convention should be forgotten. They are not mutually exclusive but complementary legal instruments.

In addition, combating violence against women and domestic violence, promoting and ensuring full equality between women and men, as a prerequisite for reducing violence against women, is required not only by international legal acts, but also by the Constitution. From it, the legislator has the obligation to take all possible measures to achieve the aforementioned goals”, says Jolita Miliuvienė.

The controller is pleased that the directive, in addition to other obligations provided for member states, also criminalizes such actions that are still considered “innocent” in society, for example – publishing intimate photos without consent, stalking, harassment, inciting hatred in virtual space: “Law enforcement does not respond to such events are always taken seriously and are often blamed in society on the victims themselves. The directive clearly states that such actions may result in imprisonment”.

The directive also includes a list of aggravating circumstances that can lead to even harsher penalties: a crime against a child, a current or former spouse or partner, a media representative or a human rights defender.

As announced by the European Council, the directive specifies detailed rules for member states regarding assistance and protection measures for victims of violence. For example, the possibility to report a crime committed in virtual space online. The obligation of the member states to implement the provisions of the directive will be supervised by the European Commission, which will prepare an evaluation report on the application of the directive in the member states.