European Commission: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, 2025 report on gender equality in the EU, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2838/5262357

2024 was an important year for gender equality in the EU. In May, the first-ever Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence as well as two Directives on strengthening the role of equality bodies were adopted. The former introduced inter alia EU-level definitions of a number of crimes, in particular regarding cyberviolence. The Directive implements, reinforces and complements the ratification of the Istanbul Convention by the EU in 2023. This is much needed: the EU-wide survey on gender-based violence, carried out by Eurostat, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights and the European Institute for Gender Equality and published in November 2024, shows that violence against women is still pervasive: one in three women have experienced physical (including threats) or sexual violence in adulthood, one in six have experienced sexual violence, including rape and one in five women have faced domestic violence – specifically physical or sexual violence from their partner, a relative, or another member of their household.

European Economic and Social Committee, 69th meeting of the United Nations Commission on the status of women, European Economic and Social Committee, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2864/4135530

The sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women organized at the United Nations takes place at a decisive moment for women’s rights globally. Women and girls around the globe are faced with a backlash in spite of many achievements during the last decades. 30 years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, time has come for a renewed commitment to gender equality worldwide. The EESC acknowledges the positive developments in gender equality in Europe in recent decades and urges the EU and the Member States to increase the pace of progress, be more ambitious, be vocal about the shrinking space for civil society and block any backlash against women’s rights, which are under attack, in particular by extreme-right political parties.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for Citizens’ Rights, Justice and Institutional Affairs and Garcia Tamara, I., Briefing for the FEMM delegation to UN CSW 69 (17 to 21 March 2025), European Parliament, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2861/4630370

This briefing contains background materials for the FEMM Committee mission to the sixty-ninth session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which focuses on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly. The briefing has been prepared by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens, Equality and Culture at the request of the FEMM Committee.

European Institute for Gender Equality, Combating cyber violence against women and girls – Developing an EU measurement framework – Methodological report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2839/691124

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Cyber violence against women and girls (CVAWG) is a dimension of violence committed against women and girls that is enabled by the increased use of digital technologies and amplified by the exponential growth of user online presence. Risks for women and girls online are further increased by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality. This report is based on a study on cyber violence against women and girls in the European Union that was commissioned by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) and carried out by the Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services (CSES).

European Institute for Gender Equality, ICF Consulting Services Ltd, Kisat, M., De Paolis, S., Puts, E. et al., The costs of gender-based violence in the European Union – Technical report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2021, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2839/875363

Gender-based violence is one of the most severe forms of gender inequality and it remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations, affecting women disproportionately. Gender-based violence not only causes pain and suffering to the victims, but also places large costs on the economy and society as a whole. However, the extent and associated costs of gender-based violence, encompassing lost economic output and public spending on health, legal, social and specialist services to mitigate harms, and personal impact on victims, are rarely seen. This technical report accompanies the updated estimation of the costs of gender-based and intimate partner violence in the EU-27.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, De Vido, S. and Sosa, L., Criminalisation of gender-based violence against women in European states, including ICT-facilitated violence – A special report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2021, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2838/960650

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The aim of this thematic report is to carry out a comparative analysis of the criminal law provisions that are applied to gender-based violence against women, including domestic violence and online violence, at national level in Europe. It explores whether GBVAW is defined as a form of discrimination or a violation of the principle of equality. It identifies and defines ICT-facilitated violence and takes as examples two forms: non-consensual dissemination of intimate/private/sexual images, and hate speech based on gender. It also examines general aspects of enforcement and sanctioning that are particularly salient in the context of combating gender-based violence against women and domestic violence.

European Institute for Gender Equality, Cyber violence against women and girls – Key terms and concepts, Publications Office of the European Union, 2022, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2839/943871

Digital platforms have often been celebrated for allowing equal opportunities for public self-expression, regardless of one’s identity and status. Yet, not everyone is welcome in the cyberspace. The digital arena has become a breeding ground for a range of exclusionary and violent discourses and beliefs, expressed and disseminated in a context of anonymity and impunity. Both women and men can be victims of cyber violence. However, evidence shows that women and girls are highly exposed to it. Not only are they more likely to be targeted by cyber violence, but they can suffer from serious consequences, resulting in physical, sexual, psychological, or economic harm and suffering. Cyber violence against women and girls (CVAWG) is often dismissed as an insignificant and virtual phenomenon. However, CVAWG does not exist in a vacuum: it is an act of gender-based violence that is perpetrated through new technologies, but is deeply rooted in the inequality between women and men that still persists in our societies.

Ionel Zamfir and Colin Murphy, European Parliamentary Research Service, 2024.

The rise of digital technologies represents a double-edged sword for women's rights. On the one hand, the digital environment has enabled women to build networks and spread awareness about the abuse they suffer, such as through the #Metoo movement. On the other, it has provided abusers and misogynists with new tools with which they can spread their harmful content on an unprecedented scale. With the development of artificial intelligence, these trends, both positive and negative, are expected to continue. Against this backdrop, it has become clear that digital violence is as harmful as offline violence and needs to be tackled with the full force of the law, as well as through other non-legislative measures.

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Fundamental rights report 2025 – Overview and FRA opinions, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2811/8851969

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This overview report is an excerpt from the annual report of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the Fundamental Rights Report 2025. It presents selected critical developments in fundamental rights in 2024, as well as the key findings and FRA opinions from the report’s chapters. These cover elections, gender-based violence and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. FRA opinions outline the agency’s position and are calls to action. They set out practical ways forward for the European Commission, EU Member States and the Council of Europe, among others, to address the fundamental rights issues raised. This overview of the Fundamental Rights Report 2025 presents selected critical developments affecting fundamental rights in 2024. Research from FRA published in 2024 provides new insights into equality and life experiences derived from surveys of people across the EU.

European Institute for Gender Equality, Gender Equality Index 2024 – Tackling violence against women, tackling gender inequalities, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2839/7338139

The latest edition of the Gender Equality Index, the 2024 edition, highlights the fact that the EU is battling a host of emerging challenges, from increasing effects of climate change and extreme weather events to high geopolitical tensions, rapid digitalisation, volatile political situations and growing political extremism across the region (EIGE, 2024). It underlines that, while such phenomena claim the attention of decision-makers, they not only occur against the backdrop of long-standing gender equality issues such as violence against women but also make gender equality a more relevant and pressing issue than ever. Mounting evidence shows that when crisis strikes violence against women and girls intensifies.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, Gender stereotypes – Violence against women – Eurobarometer report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2838/982236

Gender-based stereotypes and violence against women present substantial obstacles to the advancement of equality and human rights. These issues affect societal norms, behaviours and attitudes, frequently resulting in discrimination, victimisation and marginalisation of women. Consequently, challenging gender stereotypes and ending gender-based violence are key objectives of the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025. In this context, a flash Eurobarometer survey was conducted with the aim of gaining a better understanding of attitudes of EU citizens towards violence, and relativisation of violent or humiliating behaviours.

U.S.- EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC), 2024.

The European Union and the United States recognize that the protection of human rights online can have unique dimensions and considerations for all women and girls.

European Institute for Gender Equality, Tackling cyber violence against women and girls – The role of digital platforms, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2839/1955989

Cyber violence against women and girls (CVAWG) occurs as part of the broader continuum of gender-based violence (GBV), which is embedded in persisting unbalanced power structures. This form of violence against women and girls (VAWG) is linked to the societal reproduction of gender stereotypes. In addition, emerging technologies are exacerbating the impact of cyber violence on victims by providing perpetrators with automated intelligence mechanisms they can use to intrude on their victims’ personal and professional lives, monitoring them without consent and/or spreading disinformation in their online and offline communities.