Protecting vulnerable victims: an analysis of the EU legal framework for victims of gender-based violence

Since the 2010 Stockholm Programme, the EU has been dedicated to setting minimum standards for victims' rights. However, it was only in the 2020-2025 Victims' Rights Strategy that the urgent need for a specific framework addressing victims of gender-based violence became evident. This chapter analyses the legal framework governing their rights, evaluating its effectiveness in achieving EU goals in accordance with the Istanbul Convention and in the Commission’s Equality Strategy. To this end, the Commission's proposed Directive on combating violence against women and the Council's ratification of the Istanbul Convention is examined to understand their capacity to improve victims’ access to protection, support, and justice rights across the EU. This analysis also considers whether this proposed Directive should incorporate gender-based violence to the list of Euro crimes to ensure comprehensive prosecution of these offences across all Member States, meeting the EU's international obligations in this area.