EU wide laws offer chance to break the "vicious circle of growing gender - based violence"
![](https://renew-europe.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/main/staff/caroline-rhawi/RHAWI-Caroline_V02.jpg?w=154&h=154&q=80&auto=format&fit=max&dm=1668424408&s=489fda4d3c88e9dc4738ec8cbf1fd4f3)
Author: Caroline Rhawi
Date:
![1779 detail ddf0](https://renew-europe.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/newsroom/press-releases/2022/1117557/1779-detail.ddf0_2023-01-31-000819_notw.png?w=350&h=350&q=80&auto=format&fit=min&dm=1675123699&s=945facb9ae0c12b24cd4b1b53f03f5ec)
Renew Europe wholeheartedly supports the European Commission's proposal to oblige governments to level up their ambition to end gender-based violence by, amongst others, classifying non-consensual sex as rape and criminalising female genital mutilation as well as cyber-violence against women.
Today proposed by the European Commission and the first of its kind, the directive to prevent gender-based violence symbolises a powerful step forward to end violence against women.
Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, coordinator in the Committee on Gender Equality and Women's rights (FEMM), says:
"Today is an important day for European women. The European Commission has taken a big step towards European tools to fight and prevent gender-based violence. Our political group has long been calling for a comprehensive and binding EU directive to break the vicious circle of increasing gender-based violence.
The introduction of common rules across the EU will improve prevention, increase protection and toughen the punishment of perpetrators. This is a key first step in the right direction."
Finally, the EU will also get tougher on cyber-violence. Renew Europe is pleased to see that the Commission proposes criminalising internet-stalking, online harassment, the online sharing of non-consensual intimate images, so-called 'revenge porn', and other growing digital gender-based threats.