The draft law, which will modify several existing laws, aims at preventing violence, protecting victims and reinforcing collaboration between several actors.

The law will introduce into the penal code the legal notion of forbidding any form of violence based on gender. Genital mutilation will become sanctioned by pecuniary fines and a maximum 20-year prison sentence.

An additional measure is introduced for children affected by domestic violence. There will be obligatory consultations for any minor who has been exposed to domestic violence and where the perpetrator has been expelled from the home. The minors will be assisted by specialised services.

While men and boys are also affected by domestic violence, minister for equal opportunities Lydia Mutsch said that women were still the most affected.

The council of state must give its opinion before parliament will continue its work.

The convention of the Council of Europe was signed by Luxembourg in 2001, and came into force in 2014.