On 14 May 2024, the EU made history by adopting its first-ever Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence. One year later, the WAVE Network marks this significant achievement while reiterating the need for strong, inclusive implementation and meaningful collaboration with feminist civil society.
The Directive represents a vital legal tool to address gender-based violence, introducing EU-wide obligations on prevention, protection, support, and access to justice. It reflects years of tireless advocacy by feminist organisations, policymakers, and survivors. WAVE celebrates this progress, while keeping a critical eye on what still needs to be done.
As 2025 unfolds, WAVE is concerned that the transposition process lacks real inclusion of women-led organisations and Women’s Specialist Services (WSS). These frontline responders possess decades of expertise necessary for effective, survivor-centred implementation. The European Commission and EU Member States must lead a joint, participatory effort, ensuring these essential actors are not sidelined.
WAVE also regrets the insufficient support for migrant and refugee women, whose rights and protections, as outlined in the Istanbul Convention, remain inadequately addressed in EU legislation. This oversight places many women at continued risk, especially in contexts of insecure residence status and structural barriers to protection and justice.
We welcome renewed discussions on consent-based rape legislation and urge the EU to move forward with concrete proposals. The exclusion of a consent-based definition of rape from the Directive remains one of its most critical gaps. WAVE continues to call for comprehensive legislation that recognises the absence of consent as the defining element of rape.
Moreover, we stress the urgent need for robust primary prevention. This includes mandatory, comprehensive sexuality education, the promotion of gender equality, and long-term investment in dismantling harmful norms and attitudes that perpetuate gender-based violence, and feminist self-defence tools.
The Directive must be understood as the key EU instrument for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention. Both tools must work in tandem to deliver the highest standards of protection for women and girls across the EU—without exception.
WAVE remains committed to pushing for this vision. We will continue our advocacy to ensure that the Directive lives up to its potential—not only as a legislative milestone, but as a catalyst for real, systemic change.
The Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) Network
