14508/09 ADD 1 PL/vk 1 DG G COUNCIL OF THE ... - Europa

Some of the measures that have been introduced by the MS aim at more efficient policing or court
procedures (for example the specialist public prosecutor for violence against women and district
courts for cases of violence in Spain, and the domestic violence courts introduced in the United
Kingdom); others expand the scope of criminalised forms of violence, as is the case with laws on
stalking reported by five States (AT, CZ, DE, LU, SI) or forced marriages reported by two States
(AT, UK). In terms of criminalising violence, holding perpetrators accountable and demanding
changes in behaviour, it can be noted that some states report activities aimed at violent
men/domestic violence perpetrators. The issue of quality control of work with perpetrators and
minimum standards for practice ensuring the safety of victims is hardly mentioned in the reporting
to the UNECE.
Victim support is clearly one area of development. A new measure recurring in the reports is a
national toll-free phone line for victims subjected to domestic violence, implemented in at least six
member states in the period 2005-2009. Some countries have introduced new networks of crisis
centres or other institutional structures to ensure availability throughout the country (PT) and more
systematic work with minimum standards for victim support and/or knowledge development (PT,
HU). The MS continue to work in close cooperation with NGOs to support victims of violence.
Another overall pattern is that, so far, intimate partner or domestic violence has received far more
attention than other forms of violence against women, most notably sexual violence. However,
some countries (BE, SE, UK) report legal reforms, measures to improve criminal law proceedings
and/or improved victim support in this area. There are thus differences between Member States
when it comes to the forms of violence that have attracted attention in recent years. For instance,
financial abuse and the economic consequences of violence against women, both at a societal level
and in the lives of women subjected to violence, are given far more attention in reporting by France
than any other Member State. Other examples are the attention paid to children exposed to violence
against women, violence against older women, violence against disabled women, violence in same-
sex relationships, or violence against immigrant women or women from ethnic minorities. As
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