Expert Group Calls on EC to Adopt a Comprehensive Approach to Rape

July 20, 2015
Stopping rape: Towards a comprehensive policy. Photo: Policy Press at the University of Bristol

Stopping rape: Towards a comprehensive policy has been hailed as “an exceptional analysis of the research and policies of rape prevention in an international context.” The book, which was published by Policy Press in July 2015, is a revised version of a 2013 study that was commissioned by the European Parliament's Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. CEU Research Fellow Andrea Krizsan is among the team of authors of this “much needed, well researched, and enormously insightful book that successfully brings together the best policies and practices from across the globe in stopping rape.” The lead author of both the book and the earlier study is Sylvia Walby, UNESCO Chair in Gender Research, Sociology at Lancaster University.

Krizsan, who will be teaching several courses at SPP this year including one on gender-based violence, explains that violence against women and rape have thus far been addressed only as relatively marginal issues in EU polices. “There are some policies on sexual harassment, some on trafficking, but nothing on sexual violence,” she says. In this book, the authors propose that the European Commission adopt an inclusive approach to rape, one that addresses all aspects of the issue, and does not focus on a narrow criminal law approach. Krizsan explains that while the report is an attempt to inform EU policymaking by providing a comprehensive model for addressing rape, the relevance of the book extends beyond the EU context, and served the purpose of addressing rape as a global human rights issue.