Conclusion

• Author: European Institute for Gender Equality (EU body or agency)
• Pages: 36-36

Conclusion

European Institute for Gender Equality36

Conclusion

Effective implementation of risk assessment

and management procedures contribute to bet-

ter protec tion of the victim of intimate partner

violence and her children from further victimi-

sation.

The development of a more specialised legal and

policy framework on all levels — national, EU and

international — should introduce a more sys tem-

atic and effective system for a better protec tion

of vic tims of intimate partner violence. In recent

years, the EU has enacted a number of legal ac ts,

which contribute to the protection of victims of

violence in general, and that of victims of gen-

der-based violence in par ticular. An example of

this is the introduc tion of provisions focused on

assessing the risk of intimate partner violence. As

a result, there is an obligation for the Member

States to further develop more specialised and

tailor-made mechanisms on risk assessment and

risk management at national level.

Risk assessment tools and instruments, and risk

assessment strategies, need to be regularly eval-

uated. A s it has be en indicated, research on the

accuracy of risk assessment instruments and on

the ef fectiveness of risk management s trategies

is scarce. An ev aluation of both of them would

highlight their advantages and limitations, and

would aid policymakers in the police sector in se-

lecting the mos t adequate instrument or devel-

oping a relevant one, tailor made to the needs of

each Member State.

It is imperative that new element s, such as the

victim-centred approach, inclusion of gender and

intersectionality aspects, as well as the estimation

of coercive control, are embedded in risk assess-

ment instruments, to enable the improvement

of their predic tive validit y and effectiveness. It is

also important that police officers who are going

to apply and develop more accurate procedures

receive the relevant training.

It is equally crucial to include aspects of inter-

sectionality in the training of police officers, to

enable the understanding of interconnection be-

tween individual characteristics such as race, dis-

ability, age, religion, immigration status, ethnicity

and sexual orientation. This helps more targeted

and holistic interventions that would meet vic-

tims needs to be drafted, and to be implemented

through multiagency mechanisms.

A more detailed proposal of how to develop gen-

der-sensitive and individualised risk assessment

procedures and holistic risk management strat-

egies can be found in EIGEs A guide to risk as-

sessment and risk management of intimate partner

violence against women for police.