12 March 2026 16:35 UTC · European Commission · EU Commission Press Release · Source · Email X Link

European Commission says steps up action to end violence against women

Key points

End gender-based violence as the Strategy's first objective
Support Member States and international partnerships to prevent and respond

TL;DR

European Commission presented a new Gender Equality Strategy prioritizing ending gender-based violence.
EU statistics in the speech: one in three women in the EU has experienced gender-based violence; 18 women are killed every week in Europe.
Planned actions include supporting Member States on the Violence Against Women Directive, tackling gender-based cyber violence with platforms and Trusted Flaggers, and strengthening international partnerships such as the Action Coalition with UN Women and the Spotlight Initiative (nearly 2,000 lives saved per year; 21 million women and girls reached since 2017).
Funding for women's rights organisations increased from €56 million (2021–2022) to nearly €170 million (2023–2024); the EU is working with the ICC and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on impunity.

Original text

European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Speech by Commissioner Lahbib on Eliminating Violence against Women New York, 12 March 2026 In just five years, the world has changed profoundly. More conflicts, more crises, more division. But one thing has not changed: our determination to end violence against women. In my work, I have met so many extraordinary women and girls. I remember one in particular: Carla, a successful businesswoman and mother of two adult sons. I met her at a domestic violence shelter in Italy. She suffered thirty years of abuse from her ex-husband and narrowly escaped being killed by him. She stayed because of her children, and she left with the help of her children. Today, we honour Carla and millions of others like her. Last week, the European Commission presented our new Gender Equality Strategy for the next five years. The very first objective of the Strategy is crystal clear: ending gender-based violence. This violence is a poison in the bloodstream of our societies. In recent years, the EU has made historic progress. We acceded to the Istanbul Convention and adopted the first-ever EU law to combat violence against women and domestic violence. But we are not at the finish line. One in three women in the EU has experienced gender-based violence. One in five faces violence at home. Eighteen women are killed every week in Europe. This must end. So what are we doing? We will continue to support Member States in putting into action the Violence Against Women Directive. Prevention, protection, justice, and support for victims. We will step up our fight against gender-based cyber violence, working with major online platforms and strengthening Trusted Flaggers so illegal content is removed faster. Violence is violence, offline or online. And we will not tolerate it. The European Union is determined to lead on this issue, at home and around the world because the urgency could not be clearer. Despite rising conflicts, shrinking civic space, and growing backlash, there has also been progress. Since 2019, 90% of countries have strengthened laws on violence against women. But laws alone do not guarantee safety. Violence remains widespread, and too often, it happens behind closed doors. The European Union is taking action, by co-leading the Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence together with UN Women. Through our flagship UN partnership — the Spotlight Initiative — we save the lives of nearly 2,000 women each year. Since 2017, it has prevented violence against more than twenty-one million women and girls. We have also tripled funding for women's rights organisations around the world, from €56 million in 2021–2022 to nearly €170 million in 2023–2024, including through our ACT Programme: Advocacy, Coalition Building, and Transformative Feminist Action. Civil society is the backbone of change. We are also tackling impunity through our Global Initiative with the International Criminal Court and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. But no country can do this alone. The backlash is coordinated, well-funded, and well-organised, so our response must also be coordinated. As we mark the fifth anniversary of the Group of Friends, let's renew our commitment together to stand beside women and girls, for their safety, their dignity, and their justice. Wherever that fight takes place. SPEECH/26/603

European Commission says steps up action to end violence against women

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