MEPs vote to oblige countries to provide protection for victims of violence no matter where they move in the EU.

The News: Protection across the EU

Europe has taken a step closer to protecting  victims of violence across the 27 nations.

The EP committees for justice affairs  and women’s rights

have voted overwhelmingly  to introduce new rules

obliging nations to act against aggressors  and stop them stalking their victims abroad.

The European Protection Order  will apply to

people subjected to violence,  harassment, abduction or stalking.

It’s very important to have data  because violence against women,

particularly in a domestic environment,  remains a taboo.

This is why we believe it’s important to  talk about this, for the figures to be known,

it’s important for us to have  a European Protection Order.

Most of the measures are meant for women

who have been beaten by men and  have taken out restraining orders in court.

But they also apply for human trafficking  and victims of terrorism.

It means a person granted legal protection  in one country under its criminal law

can apply for a protection order in another  EU nation that they might want to move to.

A remaining hurdle is how to harmonise  the legal and administrative approaches.

This is taking care of criminal matters,

but in some countries you also have  civil and administrative matters,

The rules are to be endorsed by  the full parliament in Strasbourg next week.

Nations will have three years  to make them law.