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Tag: Gender-based violence

  • Violence against women active in politics in the EU: A serious obstacle to political participation

    Violence against women active in politics in the EU: A serious obstacle to political participation

    Why does violence disproportionately push women out of the political arena? The European Parliamentary Research Service (2025) examines how intersecting political and gender-based violence creates a severe barrier to women’s political representation in the EU.

    Women continue to be underrepresented across EU member states at every level of decision-making and within political parties. While this underrepresentation stems from multifaceted causes, violence against women active in politics stands out as a decisive factor that discourages women from entering public service. Female political figures navigate two overlapping forms of aggression: political violence, which undermines fundamental political rights amid rising polarization in liberal societies, and gender-based violence. The briefing stresses that violence against women in politics is far more than an incidental consequence of polarization; it targets women specifically because of their gender, manifests in sexualized and sexist abuse, and systematically functions to deter women from taking part in public life.

    The impact of this hostility has tangible consequences on political diversity and governance. Surveyed women report substantial repercussions from these experiences, noting a decreased willingness to defend specific policy stances and a reluctance to sustain their political careers. In response, ensuring the safe participation of women in political life has become a priority within EU gender equality policy frameworks. The European Parliament has formally addressed the issue across multiple resolutions, amended its internal rules of procedure to prohibit sexist rhetoric and hate speech during parliamentary debates, and put dedicated reporting and support mechanisms in place to tackle harassment.

    Learn more about this policy brief here:

    European Parliamentary Research Service. (2025). Violence against women active in politics in the EU: A serious obstacle to political participation (PE 759.600). European Parliament https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2024/759600/EPRS_BRI(2024)759600_EN.pdf

  • A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025

    A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025

    How can the European Union achieve true equality across its member states? The European Commission (2020) outlines its 2020–2025 strategy to eliminate gender-based violence, structural inequality, and persistent gaps in pay and power.

    As the European Commission (2020) explains, promoting equality between women and men is required by EU Treaties, standing as a core value, a fundamental right, and a central principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Equal participation is also essential for a competitive, innovative, and thriving economy, bringing more jobs and higher productivity to help Europe navigate the green and digital transitions as well as demographic challenges. While the EU is a global leader in this area—holding 14 of the world’s top 20 spots for gender equality thanks to strong equal treatment laws and mainstreaming efforts—no member state has reached full equality. Progress remains slow, with the average EU Gender Equality Index score rising just 5.4 points from 2005 to reach 67.4 out of 100 in 2019.

    The Commission emphasizes that advances in gender equality are neither inevitable nor permanent. While the gap in education is closing, deep divisions remain in employment, earnings, caregiving, political power, and pensions. In addition, gender-based violence, harassment, and sexist hate speech continue at alarming rates, alongside resistance to dismantling gender stereotypes.

    To confront these issues, the 2020–2025 strategy outlines concrete policy goals and actions to build an EU where discrimination, violence, and structural barriers are removed, allowing women and men in all their diversity to have equal chances to lead and thrive.

    Learn more about this policy strategy here:

    European Commission. (2020). A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025 (COM(2020) 152 final) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0152

  • Violence against women: an EU-wide survey

    Violence against women: an EU-wide survey

    What is the true scale of violence against women across Europe, and why does so much of it remain hidden? The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (2014) presents findings from 42,000 women across 28 member states, exposing pervasive abuse alongside severe under-reporting.

    Based on in-depth interviews with women across all 28 EU member states, the report establishes that gender-based violence is an extensive human rights violation that European institutions and national governments cannot afford to overlook. The survey gathered comprehensive evidence on women’s experiences with physical, sexual, and psychological violence, including intimate partner abuse, stalking, sexual harassment, abuse facilitated by new technologies, and violence endured during childhood. The findings reveal that one in ten women has experienced sexual violence since the age of 15, one in twenty has been raped, and more than one in five has suffered physical or sexual violence from a partner. In addition, more than one in ten women experienced sexual abuse by an adult before turning 15. Despite this high prevalence, abuse is systematically hidden from authorities: only 14% of women reported their most severe incident of intimate partner violence to the police, and only 13% reported their most severe incident involving a non-partner.

    Responding to long-standing calls for robust, comparable data from the Council of Europe, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and Council of the EU Presidencies, the report provides concrete empirical grounding for policymaking. The findings supply vital justification for EU member states to ratify the Istanbul Convention, for the EU to pursue accession, and for governments to enforce protective instruments such as the Victims’ Directive, the European Protection Order, and civil protection mechanisms. Beyond legislative responses, the Agency emphasizes that tackling this crisis requires involvement across multiple sectors—including employers, healthcare professionals, and internet service providers. By breaking down barriers to disclosure and providing reliable evidence, the survey aims to empower victims to speak out, confront perpetrators, and ensure that gender-based violence is treated as a mainstream policy priority across Europe.

    Learn more about this survey report here:

    European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. (2014). Violence against women :an EU wide survey: Main results. Publications Office. https://doi.org/10.2811/62230