The latest Gender Equality Index 2024, published by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) on Tuesday 25 February, shows that “gender-based violence remains widespread, serious and under-reported across the EU”.
At a time when multi-faceted crises are proliferating in Europe, these issues only serve to exacerbate the gender inequalities that already exist, according to the report, which points out that millions of European women continue to be exposed to serious violence, ranging from physical and sexual assault to femicide.
In 2022, 2,300 women were killed by their partner or a member of their family. And according to a survey carried out between 2020 and 2024, 31% of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence after the age of 15 (see EUROPE 13537/21).
Furthermore, despite advances such as the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention in 2023 and the adoption of the first European text against gender-based and domestic violence in 2024 (see EUROPE 13431/33), the effective implementation of measures remains uneven between Member States.
The EIGE also points to the decisive role played by the media and public perceptions.
According to Eurobarometer, 43% of European citizens believe that women are partly responsible for the non-consensual sharing of their intimate images and 17% believe that they exaggerate accusations of sexual violence..
In light of these findings, the EIGE calls for public policies to be strengthened, in particular through effective reporting mechanisms, training for law enforcement officers and greater support for victims.
The report: https://aeur.eu/f/fn8 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)