Luxembourg to Establish National Centre for Victims of Violence

On Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 October 2024, Luxembourg's Minister of Defence, Minister of Gender Equality and Diversity, Yuriko Backes, paid a working visit to Madrid.

Minister Backes met with her counterpart, Spain's Minister for Equality Ana Redondo. The exchange made it possible to address several central themes: the respective national priorities in promoting equality, measures to ensure fair representation in decision-making bodies, policies to support the rights of LGBTIQ+ people, as well as common challenges at European level to strengthen equality policies.

During the discussions, Minister Backes shared with her Spanish counterpart details of the project to create a national reception centre for victims of violence, following the example of other European countries including Spain. The centre will support victims in medical, therapeutic and legal procedures while avoiding re-traumatisation by opting for an approach focused on the well-being and recovery of victims. Luxembourg will also establish, for the first time, a holistic national plan against gender-based violence. This plan will serve as a basis to best prevent violence, protect victims and supervise perpetrators.

The ministers finally underlined the importance of international and European cooperation to advance the rights of women and LGBTIQ+ communities and reaffirmed their commitment to working together to build a more inclusive and equitable society.