EU- Domestic violence victims now get wide protection under the law.

Ministers of Justice from across Europe decided today at the European Union Council to pioneer a Europe-wide protection order for survivors of violence.

The new law expands the scope of the 'European protection order,' which was established in December 2011, from criminal to civil proceedings. When victims and survivors of domestic violence travel or relocate to another EU country, they will be able to depend on restrictions or protection orders made against the perpetrator in their home country.

The European Commission's proposal for an EU-wide protection order for victims of violence, notably domestic violence, was adopted by Justice Ministers from the EU Member States.

The European Commission's proposal for an EU-wide protection order for victims of violence, notably domestic violence, was adopted by Justice Ministers from the EU Member States.

Regulations are the most direct form of EU law; once passed, they have the same binding legal authority as national laws throughout all Member States. This 'European protection order' will go hand in hand with a slew of new criminal and civil justice and legislative measures aimed at combating human trafficking, sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation of children, as well as bolstering the rights, support, and protection of crime victims.

The EU has fulfilled one of its commitments under the UN Women's COMMIT initiative, which was established in 2013 in the run-up to the 57th Commission on the Status of Women as a call to governments throughout the world to take tangible steps to stop violence against women and girls. Aside from the European Union's commitment, 57 countries have joined the effort so far, including 16 EU member states.

This European Protection Order is based on the European Commission's legislative package on victims' rights, which was adopted on May 18, 2011, and is also guided by the European Commission's Strategy for Gender Equality 2010-2015, which includes ending gender-based violence as one of its priorities. According to the statistics cited in this approach, 20 to 25% of women in the EU have experienced physical abuse at some point in their life, with intimate partner violence being the most common kind.

UN Women is actively engaged in policy conversation with the European Union and has backed a number of initiatives aimed at ending violence against women. This relationship is based on a partnership agreement struck in 2012 between the EU and UN Women to promote gender equality and prevent sexual and gender-based violence. The cooperation includes a pledge to give additional assistance and protection to survivors of domestic violence, as well as to improve access to justice and services for those women who have been harmed. The alliance also strives to remove impunity for gender-based violence perpetrators.

Data from the World Women's Progress Report 2011–2012: According to In Pursuit of Justice, just 14% of rape cases in a cross-section of European countries result in offender convictions.

The Istanbul Convention was accepted by the Council of Europe (comprising 47 European countries) in May 2011, and it will enter into force once at least ten Council of Europe Member States has ratified it. To date, four nations [Turkey, Albania, Montenegro, and Portugal] have done so, with another 14 committing to do so in 2013, as part of the COMMIT effort.