"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. Equality among women and men is one of the key values of the EU and a largely untapped catalyst for economic prosperity (EIGE, 2017a). Addressing the many manifestations of gender and intersecting inequalities in people's lives was a strong commitment of the 2019–2024 European Commission (European Commission, 2020a). Among these signs of inequality, the fact that millions of women in the EU continue to be exposed to serious forms of violence, including physical and sexual violence and femicide, due to their gender remains one of the most unacceptable forms of gender inequality. This report provides an overview of the current state of violence against women in the EU, which is a thematic focus of the Gender Equality Index 2024. The first chapter examines recent legal and policy developments across the EU and its Member States, along with the availability of specialised support services for women victims of violence. The second chapter presents findings from the EU gender-based violence survey (EU GBV survey, 2021 wave) (2), offering a comprehensive view of the composite measure of violence developed as part of the domain of violence of the Gender Equality Index (EIGE, 2015, 2017b, 2017c). It includes an analysis of the extent of disclosed violence against women in the EU, including its prevalence, its severity and its under-reported nature. The final chapter explores societal attitudes towards and public perceptions of violence against women, and the media's role in shaping awareness of this violence. In addition, the chapter links public opinion with EU Member States' Gender Equality Index scores."

Support: Digital

ISBN (PDF) : 978-92-9486-265-5