Metsola says “more needs to be done” to eradicate violence against women

The President of the European Parliament (EP) defended this Monday that “more needs to be done” to eradicate violence against women and declared the support for all those “who are attacked but remain unbreakable”.

At the opening of the plenary session in Strasbourg, France, Roberta Metsola recalled all the women who “are attacked, but who remain unbreakable”, who are “abused, traumatized, harassed and brutalized”.

The EP president added that the European Union is at the forefront of protecting women and girls with legislation that was passed in May this year, but recognized that it is necessary to implement it in each of the 27 countries in the community bloc.

At the same time, the 27 have to be one foot ahead of types of violence that have emerged in the digital context and beyond, and which are a reflection of technological development.

“More needs to be done, we need to go even further. Strengthen protection (of women and girls) across Europe, ensuring predators face justice.”declared the president of the EP.

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the facade of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg lit up orange and a flag of the same color was raised alongside the flag of the European Union.

Outside of a relationship context, Women in the European Union (EU) suffer more from sexual violence (13%) but, in intimacy, it is psychological violence that prevails (30%)Eurostat releases this Monday.

According to the survey on gender-based violence in the EU, of 32% of women who responded that they had suffered violence in the context of an intimate relationshipthe majority (30%) report having been psychological and 17.7% physical (including threats) or sexual and 10.7% non-sexual physical.

Portugal is in 25th position among Member States – com 22.5% of respondents said they had suffered from domestic violence22% psychological, 10.3% physical or sexual and 7% non-sexual physical – followed by Bulgaria (20.5%) and Poland (19.6%).

In the non-family context, of the 20% of women on average in the EU who said they had been victims of violence13% report it was sexual, with 4% rape.

In Portugal, 13% of women interviewed said they had suffered violence outside the family context, with a higher prevalence of physical violence (9.3%) than sexual violence (4%), with 1% raped, ranking 24th among the 27 , followed by the Czech Republic (9.7%), Poland (8.2%) and Bulgaria (5.9%).

One in three women (31%) between the ages of 18 and 74 suffered physical or sexual violence in the European Union (EU), with Portugal having the third lowest rate of complaints (19.7%), according to the European statistical service.

The joint survey by the European statistical service (Eurostat), the European Agency for Fundamental Rights and the European Institute for Gender Equality, was released today as part of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, marked today.