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Writer's pictureThrive
Jun 21, 20213 min read

Luxembourg

Population size: 

619,896 [1]

Number of people experiencing domestic abuse each year:

3% of women in the last 12 months, 22% in their lifetime. [2]

No research on male victims or other gender identities.

Cost of domestic abuse to the economy each year:

The European Institute for Gender Equality has estimated that the cost of intimate partner violence against women in Luxembourg could amount to € 113 million per year. [3]

Estimated % change due to COVID-19:

No research. of further increase in domestic violence [4]


Current law and policy:

Luxembourg provides both legal protections against domestic violence in their own laws and under the ratification of the Istanbul convention. The Ministry of Equality between Women and Men’s 2015-2018 plan included domestic violence efforts focusing on prevention, protection and accountability. 

Legal protections against domestic violence are found in Loi modifiée du 8 septembre 2003 sur la Violence Domestique and Cinq années de loi sur la violence domestique au Grand-Duché du Luxembourg. Luxembourg ratified the Istanbul convention in 2018.

Domestic violence is included as a topic in The Ministry of Equality between Women and Men’s 2015-2018 policy plan (Plan D'egalite Des Femmes et Des Hommes) which is given budgetary support and focuses on the prevention of domestic violence, victim protection, preparatory accountability and partnerships in social sector. The Ministry of Equality between Women and Men consistently, including 2019, support Orange Week an awareness campaign organised by the conseil national des femmes du Luxembourg and the Luxembourgish section of Zonta International, with the minister stating; “"Even in a prosperous country like Luxembourg, violence against women and girls is a daily reality. It is omnipresent. It is happening in the middle of our society or behind closed curtains. It is physical or psychological. It has taken on new forms and introduced itself into social media, a place where it is becoming easier to spread hatred and create a hostile climate”. 

On 17th July 2020 Minister of equality Taina Bofferding presented key aspects of Luxembourg's new equality action plan. The action plan will be updated every three years [5]. The goal is to establish an inter-ministerial working group, comprised of representatives of the MEGA, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal security, the public Prosecutor's office and the police. Which would be responsible for providing a critical examination of legislation, procedures and administrative structures in place. [6] The law of 8 September 2003 on domestic violence was modified in 2013 to create a framework for the protection of domestic violence throughout the country - Art 1: Within the framework of the law the police with the authorisation of the State prosecutor can evict perpetrators of domestic violence from their homes [7] Implementation of the 'Victims Directive' EU directive 2012/29/EU through the law of 8 March 2017 [8] Speaking in 2019 during a presentation of the 2018 report "Committee for cooperation between professionals in the fight against violence" The Minister for equality said: "Violence is neither a normality nor a banality. The use of violence is unacceptable. Luxembourg has efficient legislation and an effective institutional framework with the cooperation committee between professionals in the field of the fight against violence." [9]

Frontline Services:

 

Sources


[1] The World Bank, (1)

[2] UN Women, “Global Database on Violence Against Women – Luxembourg”, (evaw-global-database.unwomen.org)

[3] European Institute for Gender Equality (2014). Estimating the costs of gender-based violence in the European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg


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