Back in 2020, the European Commission launched its five-year Gender Equality Strategy. Its aim? To achieve a Europe “where gender-based violence, sex discrimination, and structural inequality between women and men are a thing of the past”. We're now in 2026. And it's fair to say there is still a great deal of work to be done.

In a recent EU-wide survey, 1 in 3 women reported having experienced physical or sexual violence at some point in her life. Sit with that for a moment. One in three. Much of this violence remains underreported and under-prosecuted — and too little is being done to prevent it.

So what, exactly, is the European Union doing to combat violence against women?

To answer that question, I’m joined by Lisa Collste. She works in the European Commission’s DG Justice, where she focuses on gender-based violence — an issue she has worked on for many years, at EU level, at the United Nations, and as a public prosecutor in Sweden.

In our conversation, we discuss how widespread violence against women is, and how it shows up in everyday life, both offline and online. We look at the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention and the new Directive on combating violence against women — what they change, and what they require states to do. We also touch on how these legal tools have been misrepresented and weaponised in debates around gender and sexuality. And we step back to reflect on the deeper causes of gender-based violence, and the societal shifts it would take to reduce it.

📞 If you, or someone close to you, is affected by violence against women or domestic violence and needs support, help is available. In some EU countries, you can call 116 016 for free and confidential support. If that number isn’t available where you live, please consult this list of national helplines.

Sources:

• A Union of Equality: Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025
• EU gender-based violence survey (2024)
• Opuz v Turkey (33401/02)
• Istanbul Convention (CETS No. 210)
• WS (Case C-621/21) 
• EU baseline evaluation report on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention (2025)
• Directive (EU) 2024/1385 of 14 May 2024 on combating violence against women and domestic violence
• GREVIO Recommendation No. 1 on the digital dimension violence against women (2021)
• European Parliamentary Research Service, Definitions of rape in the legislation of EU Member States (May 2025)
• Proposal for a Directive on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children (2024)

Book recommendations:

• Caroline Criado Perez, Invisible Women
• Judith Butler, Who's Afraid of Gender
• Nina Björk, Under det rosa täcket (Under the pink duvet)

Special thanks to: Siobhán McKinerney-Lankford and Caterina Molinari.