NEWS FROM LABOUR in the European Parliament

European Parliamentary Labour Party

5G202, European Parliament, Rue Wiertz, 1047 BRUSSELS, Belgium - Tel: 00 32 2 28 43736 Fax: 00 32 2 28 49061

For Immediate Release

24 November 2004

International Day of Action Against Violence Against Women

To mark International Day of Action Against violence Against Women on 25 November, the Socialist Group in the European Parliament has launched an action programme calling for tougher European measures against violence against women.

Said Mary Honeyball, Labour's spokesperson on Gender Equality,

"The programme calls for a commitment to policies that will combat all forms of violence against women, a better measure of the problems being faced through compilation of statistics, a European-wide campaign for zero tolerance of violence against women, a designation of 2006 as a European year of action and a development of the EU's DAPHNE II programme.

"The DAPHNE II has a budget of €50 million to be spent over the next four years on projects that will counter violence against women and young people, sexual exploitation, human trafficking as well as providing education programmes and awareness raising.

"Several UK based projects have already benefited from DAPHNE I funding that totalled €33 million across the European Union between 1997 and 2003. The programme aims at raising public awareness and exchanging best practices, as well as helping to co-ordinate information between voluntary organisations and social workers.

"Violence against women and children must be stamped out, and the means to help achieving this must be boosted. Domestic violence in the United Kingdom is a serious problem. Across the UK projects in Edinburgh, Nottingham, Leicester, London and Leeds have received funding that enables them to reach out and help people in some of the most awful situations.

Mary Honeyball added,

"This is the funding that Tory Euro MPs did not vote for in March 2004. Labour's voice in the European Parliament believes that programmes that help counter domestic violence and abuse across the whole of the European Union should be supported. We believe that our constituents support these programmes too."