Violence against women has many faces: infringement on the right to self-determination, forced marriages, use of physical and mental harassment, exploitation, humiliation and discrimination. The violence against migrant women who in addition suffer the obstacle of the European borders, is extremely high. Gender specific violence has direct, structural and symbolic effects.
Violence against women is carried out in most cases by the own partner, by persons associated with the family and it is present in all social groups. It is men who are using violence. Violence is a weapon for subordinating women. As long as the present system of domination maintains and juridical and social inequality continues, both men and States will feel legitimated to pursue violence against women.
The victims of today’s wars are 70-80 % civilians, most of them women. They are being tortured and humiliated in prisons and refugee camps. They are systematically raped – a practice deliberately used as a weapon in many conflicts.
There is a link between militarism and patriarchal oppression. Both in times of peace and times of war patriarchal societies oppress women to unbearable violence: crime, rape, precariousness, unemployment, economic insecurity, trafficking. We fight this violence by building a feminist platform based on solidarity. 
The European Left is a political and a cultural movement. We not only want to abolish the economic relations of oppression but also all relations of oppression irrespective of wether they are based on ethnicity, religion or gender. For a deep change of society we want to give birth to a culture based on humanism, human rights and respect also throughout gender’s educational programs for young men and women, including language and content.
In Europe and in the whole world fundamentalism and all kinds of religious fanaticism wipe out women’s rights, place them in inherently subordinated position and undermindes the right of self-determination. 
The Party of the European Left requires secularism as a basic principle of all states. It is defending women’s right to self-determination, contraception and free abortion. We demand to outlaw and punish sexual mutilation and forced marriages.
The Party of the European Left and all its member parties are calling all over Europe to improve laws to end gender violence in any kind. These laws must focus on the prevention and detection along with an adequate budget to help victims of gender violence. These laws must guarantee migrant women with full rights without reference to their administrative status in Europe. 
We demand a better control of arms and arms possession. This is directly saving lives, first of all those of women. We speak out against using women’s rights to legitimize new wars or to tighten immigration laws. We demand the immediate conversion of the European Union guideline for the right of residence for victims of trafficking into national law. It is even more urgent when the aim of the trafficking is sexual exploitation.
We are, all over Europe, demanding social security, equal medical treatment for men and women, equal wages, equal access to education and income, an independent livelihood for all human beings as well as parity in politics and in every field of the social and economic life.
On 25th November, the International Day Against Violence on Women, we support and develop our right to self-determination by common and coordinated actions. Together we fight sexist violence which originates from machismo and the patriarchal domination.
The party of the European Left is a movement of liberation by and for women and men. It is open for everyone who wants to participate in this struggle.