General programme "Fundamental Rights and Justice": specific programme "Fight against violence" - Daphne III Programme 2007-2013

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Lissy Gröner (PES, DE) by 552 votes in favour to 51 against with 64 abstentions, and called for an increase in financing for the Daphne (III) Programme aimed at combating violence against children, young people and women. Parliament inserted a budget of EUR 125 million for the 2007-2013 period as opposed to the EUR 116.85 million proposed by the European Commission.

Other principal amendments include the following:

- Parliament amended the emphasis of this specific programme from preventing violence against victims to specifically dealing with violence against children, young people and women, and assisting victims, both at national and European level and in third countries.

- Parliament inserted further definitions: for the purposes of the programme, the term "children" covers an age range of 0-18 years, in accordance with international instruments concerning the rights of the child. However, projects with actions particularly designed for beneficiary groups such as, for example, "teenagers" (13 to 19 years old) or people from 12 to 25 years old, shall be considered as targeting the category of so-called "young people".

- Parliament referred to the aims of the programme and made more specific reference to the protection of public health, especially where it concerns children, young people and women, to the fight against domestic violence, the fight against gender-based violence in conflict situations, and the fight against female genital mutilation.

- The programme will establish a think-tank to provide guidelines to the Commission on the social, cultural and political context as regards the selection of projects and complementary actions. The think-tank would be composed of representatives of the European Parliament's competent committee and include representatives of the major NGOs in the field. The programme will also continue to provide a helpdesk service to NGOs and other organisations in order to help them draw up their projects and enter into contact with other partners.

- Daphne (III) should be opened to a wider range of NGOs, for example organisations combating child kidnapping and paedophilia and the European Network of Ombudsmen for Children (ENOC). The European Network of Ombudspersons for Children links independent children's rights institutions in twenty-four Member States of the Council of Europe. Its aims are to encourage the fullest possible implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to support collective lobbying for children's rights, to share information, approaches and strategies, and to promote the development of effective independent offices for children.

- Parliament inserted additional activities for the programme. These include: to promote the European Year against violence against women; to take measures targeting women who are members of culturally specific communities or ethnic minority groups and the specific forms of violence which these women encounter; to develop and implement actions to reintegrate victims of violence into the labour market and social life; to carry out research into the causes and current situation of trafficking in women and children for the purposes of sexual exploitation, and to carry out effective public awareness campaigns on that subject; support actions  specifically designed for groups at risk so as to prevent newborn children being abused, as well as actions specifically designed for groups at risk, for example street children. Parliament also made reference to the particular vulnerability of migrant women.

- The programme will support the setting up of a Europe-wide child helpline, which should take the form of a standard free international number for children.

- An interim evaluation report must be presented by 31 March 2010 (rather than 2011), accompanied by a list of the subsidised projects and measures. A Communication on the continuation of the programme will be presented no later than 31 December 2011 (rather than 2012.)

- Lastly, the Commission shall, together with the Member States, publish annually a list of the projects financed under this programme together with a brief description of each project.

To recall, this initiative forms part of the programme’s third phase, Daphne III, after Daphne (2000-2003) and Daphne II (2004-2008). The Commission had initially proposed a single programme, which would also cover the prevention and information on drugs and drug abuse. Parliament required a separate proposal on this specific programme as part of the general programme on "Fundamental Rights and Justice".