National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence 2016-2021

Brief Description

The Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016- 2021 and Action Plan was agreed by Government in January 2016. The Strategy is structured around three high level goals, namely prevention, which includes awareness raising, training and education; services to victims and holding perpetrators to account; and data gathering, monitoring and research in support of these goals.

Forms of violence targeted under this Strategy were sexual violence, domestic violence, and gender-based violence. In terms of sexual violence, the focus was on refining and supplementing the extensive existing law on sexual crime, including to comply with efforts at EU level to coordinate the law in this area. Domestic violence would be addressed including through a consolidation and reform of legislation and other measures to improve policing of this issue. The Strategy also planned to shed further light on the broad scope of gender-based violence, including gender-based violence against women, and male victims of domestic violence.

The Strategy has three overarching aims:
1. To change societal attitudes;
2. To hold perpetrators to account; and
3. To improve the support that is available to victims.