Justice and home affairs: security and fundamental rights

• Author: Directorate-General for Parliamentary Research Services (European Parliament)
• Pages: 194-217

EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service

194

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS:

SECURITY AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

41. Combatting violence against women

Cost of Non-Europe: €23 billion per year

Key proposition

Between a quarter and one-third of all women in Europe have experienced physical and/or sexual

violence at some point since the age of 15.865 866 Violence - including rape, stalking, and domestic

violence - represents a clear violation of human rights and damages personal human dignity, gender

equality and self-respect. There is also convincing evidence that the gender pay gap is associated

with women facing a higher risk of assault by an intimate partner.867 There are no legally binding

instruments specifically addressing women victims of violence at EU level. Instead, protection

against this type of violence is scattered through several legal instruments. One such instrument is

the 2012 Victims’ Rights Directive868. While the latter recognises the needs of gender-based violence

victims, it does not fully ensure adequate protection, prevention, prosecution and response.

Significant differences exist across Member States in the definition and criminalisation of different

types of violence against women. As a result, prevention, protection and assistance vary across the

EU.869 The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combatting violence against women

and domestic violence (‘Istanbul Convention’), which came into force in 2014, is the first legally

binding international instrument on such a matter at international level.870 The EU signed it in

June 2017871 and is in the process of joining the Convention.872 Once ratified, the Istanbul

865 Explanatory Report to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and c ombating violence against women,

para. 2.

866 Violence against women: an EU-wide survey. Main results report, Fundamental Rights Agency, 2014.

867 Gender Stat: Sexual Violence, Work and Financial Precarity, International Centre for Research on Women, 2016.

868 Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum

standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, and replacing Council Framework Decision

2001/220/JHA.

869 European Parliament, Resolution of 30 May 2018 on the implementation of Directive 2012/29/EU establishing

minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, 2016/2328(INI).

870 Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, 12 April,

2011.

871 Council of Europe Newsroom (2017), EU signs Council of Europe convention to stop violence against women.

872 Council Decision (EU) 2017/866 of 11 May 2017 on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, of the Council of

Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence with regard to

asylum and non-refoulement, OJ L 131, 20 Ma y 2017; Council Decision (EU) 2017/865 of 11 May 2017 on the signing,

on behalf of the European Union, of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against

women and domestic violence with regard to matters related to judicial cooperation in criminal matters, OJ L 131,

20 May 2017.

Europe’s two trillion euro dividend: Mapping the Cost of Non-Europe, 2019-24

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Convention will be binding on both the EU and its Member States, insofar as EU competences are

concerned.873

Research conducted by the European Added Value Unit of EPRS for the European Parliament’s

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), suggests that further action in this

field, in addition to being desirable in its own right, coul d have positive economic effects, reducing

a range of avoidable physical, psychological and judicial costs, and boosting the European economy

by some €23 billion a year.

More detailed analysis of potential benefit

Estimated costs related to violence against women in the EU were presented in a 2014 study

conducted for the European Institute for Gender Equality.874 These costs were based on a figure

estimated for the UK and extrapolated to the EU Member States based on their population size. The

most immediate individual impacts of violence against women are physical injuries and possible

changes in a person’s residence. Physical and emotional impairment represents the greatest cost

component, amounting to €134 billion. This estimate was calculated on the basis of the average loss

of healthy life years from the injury, multiplied by the value of a healthy life-year in monetary terms.

Personal costs, due to the costs of re-housing and civil legal expenses, were estimated to be

€7 billion. Violent incidents may have long-term impacts on individuals, in terms of emotional well-

being and mental health issues, such as risk of depression. These lead to additional costs of about

€2 billion for specialised services, such as social care and advice by civil organisations and NGOs. The

study found out that children of these women, particularly minors, may suffer psychological

damage and incur other costs.

The individual impacts described above are associated with societal costs, ranging from additional

costs incurred by the civil and criminal justice systems to greater social assistance costs and lower

productivity of women due to health problems and lost working days. Lost earnings due to injury

translated to an estimated reduction in economi c output of €30 billion. Health service costs related

to the treatment of physical and mental problems stemming from gender-based violence were

estimated at €14 billion. Social services costs comprise primarily housing assistance services for

people who need to move because of gender-based violence. When reported to the authorities,

violence against women also implies costs for criminal and civil justice proceedings (€32 and

€2 billion respectively). Overall, the cost of gender-based violence against women in the EU has

been estimated at €225.8 billion in 2012 (EIGE, 2014), or €231 billion in 2016 terms. It is difficult to

assess what would be the impact of an improved EU policy framework. If it were to reduce violence

by 10 %, the direct economic costs alone could be reduced by €23 billion per year.

A 2013 European Added Value Assessment produced by the European Added Value Unit of EPRS875

for the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), came to

similar conclusions. It argued that the annual cost to the EU of gender-based violence against

873 See Legislative Train Schedule, EU accession to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating

violence against women ('Istanbul Convention', EPRS, European Parliament.

874 Estimating the costs of gender-based violence in the European Union: Report, European Institute for Gender Equality,

2014.

875 M Nogaj, European Added Value Assessment – Combatting violence against women, EPRS, November 2013.