EU Adopts Landmark Legislation on Violence Against Women

The new law aims to combat gender-based violence but lacks a unified definition of rape, highlighting divisions among member states.

European Union member states and lawmakers have reached an agreement on the bloc's first laws to tackle violence against women, including cyber violence and forced marriages.
The legislation fails to include a common definition of rape due to opposition from several countries, including France and Germany.
The absence of a consent-based definition of rape has sparked criticism and disappointment among women's rights activists.
The new directive also criminalizes non-consensual sharing of intimate images, cyberstalking, and cyber harassment.
Member states will have three years to transpose the directive into national law, with the EU Commission to report every five years on the need for updates.