Every third: violence against women in the European Union

There is hardly a day not to be wounded or killed in the European Union because she is a woman. The vast majority of perpetrators of such physical or mental violence are their current or former partners.

« The main causes of violence against women are control, dominance and inequality, » said Carlien Shelle, director of the European Institute for Gender Equality, when presenting the organization's most recent report in February.

The EU has also incorporated the fight against gender and domestic violence into its policies. The Commission, with the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, has pledged to help prevent and fight violence, to support the affected and ensure that the perpetrators bear responsibility. Committed himself to make « significant progress » towards the goal – gender equals Europe

Equality European Commissioner Halja Labib presented the new guidelines of the Commission for Strengthening Women's Rights, citing the liberation of gender violence as a first step.

In recent years, the EU has taken several steps towards this goal, and has completed the process of joining the Istanbul Convention – whose member committee became in October 2023. The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Fighting Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, as its official name reads. It defines violence against women through its four forms: physical, sexual, psychological and economic.

In May 2024, the Council adopted the EU Directive to combat violence against women and domestic violence. It, at the EU level, criminalizes certain forms of violence against women, such as mutilating genitalia and forced marriage, and also online violence – for example, sharing intimate images without consent, lurking and abusing internet and inciting hatred and violence on gender. The directive was welcomed as an important step in the right direction, but also received criticism as Member States failed to agree on criminalization of rape. They did not reach a consensus on the lack of consent as the basis of the definition of rape.

Widespread violence

Member States have until June 2027 to enter the directive in their national laws and policies. But progress is uneven, and the range wide. The statistics, which are published every year in the days around March 8, International Women's Day, are not a pleasant read.

The 2024 gender equality index at the European Institute for Gender Equality has pointed to recent political and legal events related to violence against EU women and member states. It states that violence against women is « widespread and insufficiently reported ».

In this composite index of violence in 12 member states, the result was 31.9 points, with Greece (with 24.6 points) and Finland (with 41.7 points) on the opposite ends. According to the number of points, 1 points to a situation where there is no violence, and 100 that violence against women is widespread and difficult.

According to statistics and data from all over the EU obtained through the survey and used for this index, 31 percent of women over 15 years old in the EU experienced physical and/or sexual violence, and 57 percent of victims suffered health consequences.

In a recent German survey, 92 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 35 said they were abused or attacked.

What is a femicide?

According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, it is difficult to determine the exact number of females – murder of women or girls for gender – throughout the block, because definitions differ from country to country. They do not have all member states specific laws on femicide, although countries such as Malta, Cyprus or Croatia have concrete femaling laws in their criminal law.

But women still kill them in Europe, as these examples show:

In France, the interior ministry said 96 women were victims of « Marital Femicide » in 2023.

In 2024 in Spain, 48 women were killed in cases of « gender violence » in the relationship or family. That same year, nine juveniles were killed in crimes committed by their fathers or their mother's spouse. There were also at least six females performed by someone who was not their current or former partner. This number of murders due to gender violence has been the smallest registered since 2003. Since that year, 1293 women in Spain have been killed by their partners or former partners.

In 2024 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 12 women were killed in cases of femicide, but the country has no unified registry of domestic violence, making it difficult to monitor the scope of the problem and efficient response by institutions.

Italy reported more than 90 females in 2024. At least 48 of the victims were killed by the current or former partner, according to the country's interior ministry. Every fifth victim was over 70 years old.

Chemicide is reported in Germany almost every day. In 2023, about 938 girls and women were victims of either killing or femicide attempts. Of these women, 360 died. « Almost every day there is a femicide. About 400 women become victims of domestic violence every day, « Female Minister Lisa Lisa said in November, when she presented the first report on this situation titled » Gender -specific violations against women « .

Protection of victims

Throughout Europe, the legal systems of countries are in different stages in the fight against gender violence.

In Spain, where the government has long been the fight against gender violence a priority, parliament is discussing the renewal of the state -owned pact against gender violence, with about 460 victims protection measures.

According to official statistics, in Slovenia, every second woman and girl over the age of 15 experienced some form of violence. At the end of 2024, the country adopted an action plan to implement a national program for the prevention of domestic violence and violence against women. It provides for greater financing and strengthening of social protection programs and other assistance. The problem of femicide also gets attention. Amendments to the Criminal Code are being prepared, which will introduce stricter penalties for family killings or other conditions of life.

EU candidate country for EU membership Northern Macedonia has recently ratified the Istanbul Convention, but according to activists, there are still serious problems: although changes to the 2023 Criminal Code have updated the definition of rape based on lack of agreement and criminalizing and criminalizing and having sex.

Bosnia and Herzegovina also adopted a law on protection against domestic violence. Federal Justice Minister Vedran Skobic said the law puts a strong emphasis on women's protection and is the implementation of the Istanbul Convention as well as certain EU recommendations and directives, which are basic obligations in the EU accession process.

However, social worker and psychotherapist Thea Rebac Mikulic noted that women in BiH often do not report violence due to traditional gender roles, economic uncertainty and inappropriate response to institutions.

In Bulgaria, according to Eurostat data from 2024, the country has reported that only 6 percent of women have experienced non -parent violence. This is the lowest such percentage in the EU. But the Ministry of Interior informs that the number of cases of domestic violence, as well as issued protection orders and initiated procedures for crimes related to domestic violence, has increased. Justice Minister Georgiev said the government is actively preparing for the application of EU directive.

The Polish Minister of Equality Catasina Kotula often speaks of the topic of violence against women, emphasizing its seriousness and systemic nature and calling for systemic changes.

Progress is slow and endangered

Progress is uneven throughout the block. Five member states-Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia-have not yet ratified the Istanbul Convention.

Although the EU has taken solid steps from a legal point of view, the European Institute for Gender Equality argues that the struggle for real progress requires urgent action by policy creators, civil society and citizens. The report reveals a disturbing level of tolerance violence against women, with 17 percent believing that reports of sexual abuse or rape are often exaggerated; 46 percent of men and 26 percent of women believe that financial control in relationships is acceptable; And 27 percent of men and 15 percent of women think that sexual harassment in the workplace is acceptable.

And the number of political opponents of gender equality is growing. A report by US Wimen, the UN Women's Organization, warned this week that in a quarter of countries around the world, women's rights are banging for various reasons, ranging from climate change to the weakening of democracy. « The weakening of democratic institutions goes hand in hand with resisting gender equality, » the report said, adding that « actors against women's rights actively undermine the long -standing consensus on key topics related to women's rights. »

« When it comes to gender equality, progress is also called into question. It should not be argued around gender equality – it should be natural as the air we breathe. It is at the heart of our European lifestyle, « European Commissioner Labib said during Friday's presentation.

« These directions for women's rights are our guide, our vision of a world in which women and girls will be able to lead, advance and realize all their potential, without violence and discrimination, » Labib said.

According to the commissioner, the guidelines aim to be a response to the structural discriminatory norms in European societies. In addition to aspiring to liberate from gender violence, they also strive for a better health standard for women, equal salaries for women, balance between professional and private life, equal employment opportunities and equal representation, among other things.

Although many member states have action plans to tackle women's violence, not all are the same effective. For example, funded preventive programs, as well as available shelters, counseling or other services for victims, do not meet the needs, criticizing the European Institute for Gender Equality.

Maria Molika, who leads the team of the EU Directorate General of the EU that focuses on gender violence, hopes that the implementation of the EU Directive on Violence against Women by June 2027 will correct many of these shortcomings.

« By transposing the directive, most of the demands of the Istanbul Convention will have to enter national legislation, even in member states that have not yet ratified the Convention, » she said.

The fight against violence against women not only requires a change in social attitudes towards him, but also requires greater funding, said Stephanie Futter-Orel, director of the Network Women Against Violence in Europe.

Gender violence, despite bringing indescribable suffering, brings high economic costs. The estimation of the European Institute for Gender Equality in 2021 says that these costs in the EU amounted to about 366 billion euros, with violence against women making 79 percent of Isov. Costs are caused by the physical and emotional impact of violence, the costs of criminal and civil justice services and the lost economic performance.