LOC15:57
12:57 GMT
BRUSSELS, Nov 24 (KUNA) -- The European Union (EU) condemned Tuesday all forms of violence against women and girls and called for international efforts to put an end to violence against women and girls.
Ahead of the occasion of the International Day for the elimination of violence against women on Wednesday, Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative, Neven Mimica, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs, Christos Stylianides, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, and Vera Jourova, EU Commissioner for Justice, issued a joint statement saying this violence against women and girls constitute a "blatant violation of human rights and gender discrimination that blights every country in Europe and worldwide."
"The figures are alarming: one in three women in the EU has experienced some form of gender-based violence in their lives. In many countries, over half of murdered women are killed by an intimate partner, a relative or family member, in their own homes. They are also very vulnerable to all forms of violence in conflict areas and during humanitarian crises" it said.
"This year, we should pay special attention to the growing numbers of women seeking refuge or asylum in the EU," it noted.
This year, the European Commission has allocated about 8 million euro in projects preventing and combating violence against women and girls within the EU and 20 million euro in fighting against harmful practices abroad, it added. (end)
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