With the accession to the Istanbul Convention, the EU has committed to do all it can to prevent and combat gender-based violence, support and protect victims of such crimes, and hold perpetrators accountable for their abusive behaviour.

In 2023, the Commission established the EU network on the prevention of gender-based and domestic violence by the European Commission. The aim of the Network is to provide the space for Member States to:

· discuss needs for violence prevention which are not sufficiently addressed or new or emerging, and possible avenues to improve prevention;

· map effective measures and approaches for violence prevention;

· share knowledge and tools for effective risk assessment and detection of vulnerabilities;

· exchange existing good practices and lessons learned.

The first meeting took place in November 2023, with Member States and stakeholders discussing the topic of “Early prevention mechanisms of law enforcement, health and social services, and inter-service coordination and data sharing”.

The second meeting has been set for 10 – 11 April 2024, on the topic “Engaging young people, in particular men and boys: role of education and digital media”. Permanent members of the Network will receive more information shortly.