Thanks to the new EU rules, victims of domestic violence or stalking will be given more and better protection as restraining, protection and barring orders issued in one Member State can be easily transferable and recognisable in another Member State through simple certification. “Rights of the victims of violence will now be guaranteed outside their own country too, wherever they are in Europe,” said V?ra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality. “In the EU, an estimated one in three women face violence at some point in their life and unfortunately most often this physical violence comes from someone close to the person, such as their partner,” she added.
The ultimate objective of the Commission is to ensure safety and protection to those who have suffered domestic abuse outside their home country by transferring the order protecting them away from the offender. Before this new legislation was introduced, victims would have had to go through a complex procedure to get their protection recognized in other Member States including a different system of certification in each EU country.
“The new procedure will mean that women or men who suffer violence can have the protection they deserve and go on with their lives. They will be able to choose to live in another EU member state or to travel on holiday without fearing for their safety,” Ms Jourova explained. The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, which supported the report published on Monday (12 January), concluded that more targeted victim support services were essential in Europe. Despite improvements, there is still a lot to be done, especially greater access to services such as counselling or trauma support for victims. Getting rid of red tape to simplify access to legal aid is also on the agenda.
