Statement Rosa Logar WAVE Network

1. European ParliamentFEMM Committee Hearing on Implementation of the EU Funds aimed at fighting violence against women and girls 23 January 2019 Statement Rosa Logar WAVE Network

2. Introduction 1 • I thank the European Parliament FEMM Committee for inviting me to this hearing on behalf of the European network WAVE – Women against Violence Europe. • We thank the FEMM Committee for their continuous efforts to promote gender equality and to eradicate violence against women. • I was one of the founders of WAVE in 1994. • 25 years ago a group of women founded the network during the preparations for the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing. • During the first years we had no resources for networking, but the desire to meet, to learn from each other and to work together for a Europe free from violence against women. We slept on each others’ sofas and shared our meals. • When the DAPHNE programme was introduced, we were able to apply for action grants, which helped enormously to intensify our cooperation, but we still had no resources for networking. • And over the past few years, operating grants for networks have been introduced, which enable us to strengthen our cooperation and to expand our work. We are willing and able to continuously contribute to the implementation of relevant EU policies and legislation and to the Istanbul Convention. • WAVE has grown and established sustainable network structures and activities – thanks to EU funding.

3. Introduction 2 • In the past years we have come a long way, and the EU has played an important role in efforts to address and eradicate violence against women and domestic violence. Several milestones were set: • The FRA survey on violence against women 2014 showed the magnitude of the problem: one out of three women are affected by violence in their lifetime. • The Victims’ Rights Directive sets minimum standards for victims’ support in criminal proceedings and recognises violence against women as a specific form of violence, requiring member states to provide specialist women’s support services. • The European Protection Orders in criminal and civil matters was started by members of the European Parliament and of this Committee. It is a shame that implementation is still so slow and that in many countries courts are not informed about these rights of victims. We hope that by funding projects this situation will be improved. • In 2017 the Istanbul Convention was signed, after the EU had also played a major role in drafting the Convention between 2008 and 2010 in the CAHVIO Committee. • All these measures should take us a big step forward in ending violence against women and domestic violence.

4. Backlash 1 & #EUToo • But unfortunately we are facing an alarming backlash regarding women’s rights, gender equality and the aim of preventing violence against women in the EU. • One troubling symptom of the backlash is that after signing the Istanbul Convention in 2017, the EU has not been able to access and ratify it. • Therefore it is necessary to step up our efforts to work for gender equality and against violence against women and to realise that these two goals are interconnected. • All women and girls in Europe have the right to live free from violence! • More women than men are voting for democratic, pro-European parties and less for right wing, anti-democratic groups. • In the upcoming European elections women’s rights and interests need to be protected, and progress in the ratification of the IC will help to mobilise women to vote! • Thus: # EUToo – Ratify the Istanbul Convention Now!

5. Backlash 2 – “Gender neutrality” • We are worried about the gaps women that victims of violence and their children face when seeking help in EU countries. • Often not even the most basic services, such as women’s shelters, are available to them. • And despite the fact that the Victims’ Rights Directive as well as the Istanbul Convention require the provision of specialist women’s support services and not only general support, such services are often missing. • A tendency towards “gender neutral” services can be observed instead, which runs contrary to the obligation to address the gendered nature of the problem. • This happens not always out of ill will, but rather out of a lack of understanding by policy makers. • Let us look at some figures regarding the support of women survivors.

6. Data onSpecialist Women’s Support Services in the EU Data from the WAVE Report 2017 (46 countries): https://wave-network.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/WAVE_CR_2017_180702_web.pdf Women’s helpline: • 24 countries (out of 46) have a nationwide women’s helpline operating 24/7 and free of charge • 14 EU countries have such a national women‘s helpline • 14 EU member states have no 24/7 free-of-charge helpline. Women‘s shelters: • There are approximately 1 590 women’s shelters in the EU • Most of them, about 85–90%, are located in the “old” EU countries (members before 2004) • Only 10–15% in “new” member countries • There is a worrying lack of women‘s shelters in Central and Eastern European countries of the EU.

7. Data onSpecialist Women‘s Support Services in the EU Data from the WAVE Report 2017 (46 countries): https://wave-network.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/WAVE_CR_2017_180702_web.pdf Places in women’s shelters in the EU: • Women’s shelters in the EU provide about 26 900 places. • According to the minimum standard (1 place per 10 000 of population) approx. 40 000 places would be needed. • Around 19 500 places exist, which means that around 20 500 are missing. • In new EU countries, approx. 80% or more shelter places are missing. • The situation has not improved much during the past few years, and in some regions it has even deteriorated. • In some countries, specialist women’s support services hardly exist at all. And if they do, they are in danger of being replaced by “gender neutral” services, which cannot properly meet the needs of women victims of violence.

8. Counteraction required • EU funding programmes need to counteract such tendencies towards gender neutrality by requiring a gender-specific approach in funding programmes. • and also, by providing longer-term operating grants to women’s organisations which offer support and services for victims in regions where governments fail to provide the necessary structure. • Many women’s NGOs already had to stop operating, and many more will disappear if we do not support them. In Hungary, for instance, there are only very few women’s NGOs left and the helpline NANE receives next to zero government funding.

9. Importance of women’s NGOs and specialist women’s support services in preventing VAW • Women’s NGOs play an important role in preventing violence against women and domestic violence and providing services to victims. There is evidence that countries with more women’s NGOs have made greater progress in addressing the problem than countries with fewer. We call upon the EU to increase funding for their work, especially in regions where there are few women’s NGOs. • In addition to their important role in providing services that contribute to women’s empowerment, women’s NGOs also make crucial contributions in awareness raising, education and training, and they are regional and local agents for change on gender equality and violence against women. – To invest in women’s NGOs certainly pays off! • The Istanbul Convention (Article 9) acknowledges the importance to recognise, encourage and support, at all levels, the work of independent NGOs and fund them appropriately. • Therefore WAVE very much welcomes the amendment according to which it is key for the EU to provide strong support to women’s rights organisations (8a). We also welcome the amendment to ensure an enabling environment for CSOs and human rights defenders (27c).

10. Non-Discrimination • We also very much appreciate the recognition in the programme proposal that undocumented women are particularly vulnerable to violence and sexual abuse and a victim-centred approach is needed to provide adequate support services to all women, regardless of their residence status. • And we welcome amendments to strengthen the rights of women with disabilities. • Let me now address some general proposals concerning the new programme:

11. Proposals for the improvement of funding • Funding dedicated to tackling violence against women and children should be maintained. • We welcome the step that at least 40% of the funding should be earmarked to NGOs. • More support should be given to small women‘s NGOs and grassroots projects promoting gender equality and measures to eradicate violence against women, who often do not have the means to apply for projects. • Priority should be attributed to the Central and Eastern European countries who currently have little chances to apply for grants or get funding. Women’s NGOs in countries which face particular threats to women’s rights should be given preference. • We welcome that experts from NGOs should be able to participate in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the programme. • Procedures need to be simplified and should allow for more flexibility. • Co-funding should be avoided since it is an obstacle for many women’s NGOs and CSOs. • The requirement to produce support letters from state agencies also needs to be reconsidered under the current political situation. • We support that funding opportunities and conditions should be the same for women‘s NGOs inside and outside the EU. And finally: Let us talk about money! • Funding for the DAPHNE strand should be increased to match the magnitude of the problem.

12. Let’s talk about money • The European Added Value Assessment estimates that the annual cost to the EU of violence against women in 2011 was about EUR 228 billion (1.8% of EU GDP). • This amounts to about EUR 450 per European citizen each year. • Compared to these costs of violence, we have to admit that investments in the programme to eradicate violence against women, children and young people, are shockingly low: 17 million in the year 2017! And over the past years we even saw a decrease: from 20 million in 2011 it went down to 19.5 in 2012 and to 18 million in 2013. In this situation, to broaden the scope of the programme does not help, either, because then even more goals should be reached with the same money. • This, we must admit, is simply impossible. • To achieve the eradication of VAW and DV, we need to considerably increase the budgets allocated to this aim! • Let us think big: an investment of only 10% of the costs (or EUR 45 per citizen, per year) would significantly contribute to reducing the financial impact of gender-based violence on budgets, i.e. through investment in the prevention of violence. • WAVE welcomes the proposal of the FEMM Committee to introduce gender budgeting and the allocation of adequate resources and transparency in budget lines to promoting gender equality and preventing discrimination and violence (Amendment 15).

13. What might help us to think bigger in the area of budgeting? Let’s consider: Where does the money go? - An example 1 747 trillion USD= one year of the world’s military spending in 2013 What could we get for this money? • Over 650 years of the UN’s regular budget • Over 6 300 years of the budget for UN Women (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom) • How many years of DAPHNE Programmes? The world is over-armed, while peace and equality are underfunded! Let us change that together!

14. Thank you for your attention! Contact Rosa Logar: rosa.logar@interventionsstelle-wien.at