As alarming rates of violence against women and girls persists in various forms, Chair of the Women's rights Committee Iratxe Garcia Perez outlines the urgent EU action needed.

An orange-wash for a future without violence against women

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The European Parliament is backing  the campaign 'Orange The World',

a United Nations initiative  to fight gender-based violence.

For the occasion, Parliament's façade  has been lit this colour

The Chair of the Women's Rights  and Gender Equality Committee,

Iratxe García Pérez, is calling  the EU institutions and Member States

What does the campaign  'Orange The World' mean?

which we in the EU, the European  institutions, have come on board with.

It's a way of visualising  the fight against gender violence

What developments have there been  in gender violence in recent years,

Currently and for many years,  we in the Parliament have been pushing

for there to be comparable studies  and statistics at EU-wide level

to be able to gauge if there is a decrease  or increase in the trend.

However, it depends on the state as to how  victims of gender violence are considered.

Therefore, the first thing we need  is for Europe to be able to determine,

through comparable studies,  what the current situation is.

The Parliament has precisely  requested the creation of an Observatory,

what stage are negotiations at  on the matter?

Well, this is something that for a number  of years we have been pushing for,

it was in fact spearheaded  by the last Spanish Presidency of the EU,

In all reports related to the fight  against gender-based violence,

for the importance of Europe  having such an Observatory

in order to really know  what the situation is at the moment

and to be able to compare  the situations in different countries.

And what is blocking the creation  of this Observatory

as well as the review of the Directive you  have also been calling for over many years?

On the part of the current EU Commission,

when we asked for an EU directive  on gender-based violence,

they told us we do not have  the sufficient level of competency

that a series of other actions could be  proposed, but not legislative measures.

A part of this Parliament believe  that it is in fact possible.

Few countries have ratified  the Istanbul Convention.

That's the question we have been asking  ourselves for a while now!

The Istanbul Convention, which some  countries have already been ratified,

stipulates a commitment by governments  to fight gender violence,

to implement all the necessary  initiatives on the issue.

So by ratifying and adhering to  this Convention

requires the governments  to undertake a series of actions.

And they're not willing to do so?  -It seems not all are willing to do so.

Therefore not only are we urging the EU  Commission to exhort governments to ratify,

but also that Europe itself -  that the Commission as an EU institution -

may subscribe to Convention  to make it legally binding

for all countries  so that they implement it.

for the EU Commission to present  the new post-2015 strategy for equality.

We are expecting for it to be tabled  in the coming months.

And from the EU Parliament  we have already demanded

that this includes specific measures  on the subject of gender violence.

for a European Year dedicated  to combating gender violence.

This would help to raise awareness  and lead to greater commitment,

not only from the institutions  but also from civil society.

It enables you to present the problem  and be able to rally society around it.

because we are not talking about something  that only affects part of the population:

gender violence affects  all women in Europe;

and women in Europe  represent half of the population.

So it is essential for the EU Commission

to drive for a European Year  on Combating Violence Against Women.

This would be in 2017?  -We hope it will be in 2017.

We have been asking for it for years,  as it's yet to be seen we are requesting

a swift announcement  from the EU Commission

committing to making 2017 the EU Year  on Combating Violence Against Women.