Recent European research, involving participants from all 28 European states and reflecting the experiences of 42 000 women across EU, managed to capture the real face of Domestic Violence in Europe for a first time. The data from the survey dreadfully shows that one in three women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15.

This project aims at addressing this by building on the successful idea and results of a previous successful projects in the field like the LLP project PACT, which was aimed at Promoting Awareness and Cooperation and Training in the Field of Domestic Violence (DV) and the projects Sunia Geel 1 & Sunia Geel 2.

Recent Policy developments in Europe have highlighted the current situation and provided a framework for the work of EMPROVE:

The establishment of the European Protection Orders (Jan. 2015)

that guarantees the protection of women victims of violence, not just in their own country but throughout the whole European Union. Such mechanisms are an example that the fight against Domestic Violence (DV) should happen on a European level, unifying best practices and networks of professionals from all EU members. This is also one of the arguments behind the decision why the EMPROVE! Project should be carried out transnationally – it is instrumental and beneficial to face challenges that are mutual for all Member States, uniting the expertise, instead of struggling with them on a local level.

The Istanbul Convention (Aug. 2014)

often called a milestone in the fight against gender-based and domestic violence. The convention aims at the development of a holistic approach and this is exactly what the current project will also strive to do – all Intellectual Outputs in EMPROVE! build on each other and are linked towards achievement of the highest goal – Empowerment of the DV Survivors.

The general principle acknowledged by the Directive 2012/29/EU

of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 a.k.a. “EU Victims’ Directive” (Para. 17) recognizes the need for support for victims of gender-based violence. The EMPROVE! project consortium focuses its efforts on victims of DV, since as stated in the EU Victims’ Directive, it is “serious and often hidden social problem which could cause systematic psychological and physical trauma with severe consequences.”