New Gender Equality Index Thematic Focus highlights the scale of violence against women and the path forward
Violence against women in the European Union is not just a social issue—it is a human rights crisis.
According to EIGE’s latest Gender Equality Index 2024 Thematic Focus, gender-based violence remains prevalent, severe and under-reported across the EU.
While the EU has taken strong legal steps, the fight for real progress requires urgent action from policymakers, civil society, and the public.
“Violence against women is rooted in control, dominance and inequality. As the EU’s only gender equality agency, we must take a lead in working towards ending violence against women says EIGE Director Carlien Scheele.
Read alongside last year’s EU gender-based violence survey and the Eurobarometer survey on gender stereotypes - Violence against women, EIGE’s Thematic Focus is at the heart of upcoming action.
“Data is a ‘must-have’,” says Maria Mollica, who leads the EU Directorate-General for Justice team focusing on gender-based violence.
“Without data we cannot justify policy initiatives, data must be at the basis of any action that the Union takes.
“Inputs like the Gender Equality index Thematic Focus from EIGE serve the Commission’s work. The data analysis gives us more refined information on the phenomenon of gender-based violence.”
The reality: Violence against women is widespread and underreported
EIGE’s latest composite measure of violence against women, based on EU-wide gender-based violence survey data, reveals a score of 31.9 out of 100 across 12 EU Member States.
This reflects the widespread nature of violence, its severe consequences, and the reluctance of victims to report it. It also provides a benchmark for future improvements.
The data is alarming:
- 31% of women in the EU have experienced physical and/or sexual violence since age 15.
- For 57% of victims, the violence has caused health consequences, from physical injuries to long-term psychological trauma.
- One-third of victims experience violence from multiple perpetrators, making them more vulnerable.
- Despite the impact of the #MeToo movement, 31% of victims had never disclosed their experience to anyone at the time of the survey.
The study also highlights intersectional vulnerabilities, women with disabilities are at higher risk of violence than those without disabilities.
Meanwhile migrant women, LGBTQI individuals and Roma women face additional barriers to reporting and accessing support.
The EU’s legal response: Progress, but gaps remain
The EU has taken significant steps to address violence against women, including:
- The first-ever EU Directive on Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (May 2024), which sets common legal standards across all Member States.
- The EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention (2023), reinforcing commitments to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence.
Despite these advancements, five Member States (Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Lithuania, and Slovakia) have yet to ratify the Istanbul Convention.
This delay is largely driven by political opposition and anti-gender movements, that threaten progress.
Furthermore, while many Member States have National Action Plans to tackle violence against women, their scope and effectiveness vary greatly.
Maria Mollica explains that the transposition of the EU directive on violence against women by June 2027, will address many of these shortfalls.
“Through the transposition of the Directive, the vast majority of the Istanbul Convention’s requirements will have to pass into national law, even for those Member States that have not yet ratified the Convention” she says.
“We will use EIGE’s information in our work when steering Member States towards timely and full transposition of the Directive.”
The Shortfall in Support Services
For women facing violence, access to support services is crucial, but the Thematic Focus finds that these services remain insufficient:
- Shelters fall far below the Istanbul Convention’s recommended levels, with only seven Member States meeting the minimum requirement of one bed per 10,000 inhabitants.
- Only seven Member States provide enough counselling centres for women, falling far short of the recommended one per 50,000 women.
- The cost-of-living crisis (2022-2023) has put further strain on victim support services, with many organisations struggling to cover basic operational costs like rent and energy bills.
Public Perceptions and Media Narratives: A Barrier to Progress
While legal and policy frameworks are essential, societal attitudes toward women play a critical role in shaping real-world outcomes.
The EIGE report finds worrying levels of tolerance for violence against women:
- 17% of respondents believe women often exaggerate claims of sexual abuse or rape.
- 46% of men (and 26% of women) think financial control in relationships is acceptable.
- 27% of men (and 15% of women) believe workplace sexual harassment is acceptable.
Media representation of violence against women is often problematic, with sensationalism, victim-blaming, and the romanticisation of abuse still common.
While some EU countries have guidelines for responsible media reporting, these are largely voluntary and not consistently enforced.
EIGE’s correlation analysis reveals that countries with lower gender equality scores tend to have higher levels of societal acceptance of violence against women.
This suggests that progress in gender equality and efforts to combat violence against women must go hand in hand.
“Some may say the figures are not so shocking as, in general, they show that EU citizens understand that gender stereotypes are not good and that violence against women should be eliminated,” says Maria Mollica.
“But, if you look closer into the results, for 8% of people it's still OK to occasionally slap a woman in the face.
“It shows a lot of citizens still tolerate or minimalise certain forms of gender-based violence. That's appalling.
“Severe cases like the Gisèle Pelicot case are a wake-up call for society. If things remain as they are, we will inevitably see a repeat.”
"Currently, the focus is on responding to, rather than stopping violence before it starts,” says Stephanie Futter-Orel, Executive Director of Women Against Violence, Europe (WAVE).
“WAVE advocates a shift to Primary Prevention, including harnessing citizens power to stop violence against women, and contribute to saving lives.
“A violence-free life is possible through sustainable funding, feminist civil society organisation involvement in policy, and active citizen participation."
As the EU’s Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 nears its end, it is crucial to ensure that combatting violence against women remains a top priority for the EU and all its Member States. The time for action is now.
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