Ashton stressed that the persistence of constitutions and laws that blatantly discriminate against women still undermines the development of countries around the world. Violence against women has direct negative consequences on women’s access to education, job and on to their participation in the public life, she added.

A new 10-country study on women’s health and domestic violence conducted by the World Health Organisation shows that between 15% and 71% of women reported physical or sexual violence by a husband or partner. Between 4% and 12% of women reported being physically abused during pregnancy. Every year about 5,000 women are murdered by family members in the name of honour.

Ashton said that ‘all must play their part’ in reaching the common goal of the eradication of gender inequality and that ‘there remains a huge amount to do in all parts of the world.’

‘That is why the EU will continue to put pro-active work in this field at the heart of our policies, both internal and external. Heads of EU delegations throughout the world have just received clear instructions in this respect’, Ashton concluded.