With a score of 67.9 out of 100, the EU is at least 60 years away from reaching complete gender equality, if we continue at the current pace. The latest Gender Equality Index from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) shows that the EU is improving by just half a point each year.
One of the areas of focus in EIGE's Gender Statistics Database is gender-based violence. The most widespread form of gender-based violence is intimate partner violence. Comparable data on intimate partner violence are of paramount importance in understanding and monitoring the nature and scale of the issue, itself a barrier to achieving gender equality. However, availability of comparable data across the EU remains lacking.
The complex and evolving security threats the EU is facing, such as organised crime, terrorism, cyberviolence and hybrid threats, have placed security high on the political agenda of both the previous Commission (2014–2019) and the current Commission (2019–2024). Women and men, and girls and boys experience conflict, insecurity and threats differently and the impact of security policies is not equal across different groups.
Accurate estimations of the number of girls at risk are required to effectively tackle Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). EIGE estimates the number of girls at risk in different EU countries and provides tailor-made recommendations to help countries eradicate the practice. Estimation of girls at risk of female genital mutilation in the European Union - Austria, Denmark, Luxembourg and Spain This study estimated the number of girls at risk of Female Genital Mutilation in Austria, Denmark, Luxembourg and Spain.
Lockdown measures implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic led to increased reports of intimate partner violence in a number of EU Member States, with a number of countries introducing emergency measures...
It is time to start the countdown for the Gender Equality Index 2020. Has the EU gone forward or backward when it comes to gender equality? Which country will win the award for the most improved? Find out on 29 October when EIGE gives its annual update on the state of gender equality in the EU. This year, the Gender Equality Index takes a special look at digitalisation in the world of work, and the consequences for gender equality.
Spikes in domestic violence reports during Covid-19 lockdowns have been a sad reminder that, across the world, women frequently face the most danger from people they know. Yet when it comes to intimate partner violence, each EU Member State collects data in a different way.
Lockdowns to prevent the spread of Covid-19 trapped many women at home with abusers. Several countries saw spikes in domestic violence reports. As lockdowns ease, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) is taking a closer look at how we can protect women in times of crisis – be it a pandemic, natural disaster or economic recession. Domestic violence happens everywhere.
All EU Member States have criminalised some forms of violence against womenand, together with the EU institutions, have worked to strengthen legal frameworks and better determine the scale of the phenomenon. At EU level, gender-based violence is a policy priority, as reflected in the strategy for equality between women and men (2010-2015) and in the follow-up strategic engagement for gender equality (2016-2019).
More than one woman was killed every day by an intimate partner or family member in the EU on average in 2016[1]. To help police prevent repeated acts of intimate partner violence and save lives, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has developed a risk assessment guide for police. “With proper training, and allocation of resources where they are most needed, our guide can help police improve victim safety.
Police officers play a leading role in reducing violence against women by an intimate partner. They are often the first authority victims turn to for protection, especially in countries where police are trusted. Risk assessment and risk management strategies are two vital steps that ensure the immediate safety of victims and prevent further violence. EIGE’s guidelines and recommendations offer a common EU-wide approach to risk assessment and risk management.
The police play a leading role in reducing violence against women by an intimate partner. When women experience violence, they usually turn to the police before any other authority for protection. Risk assessment and risk management are two vital steps that police officers can take to ensure the immediate and ongoing safety and well-being of those affected by intimate partner violence.
