Commissioner for Human Rights

Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

The fulfilment of the human rights of women is still lagging in Europe. Discrimination on the grounds of gender and sex remains widespread and has been further exacerbated by the economic crisis and ensuing austerity measures adopted in some European States, which have impacted on women disproportionately.

Women’s rights are also threatened by the resurgence of reactionary trends targeting women who try to move out from the subordinated role in which they have been kept for centuries. Another issue of concern is the intensification of hate speech against women in Europe, especially on the Internet. Discrimination and hate speech against women provide fertile grounds for violence against women, which is one of the most extreme human rights violations suffered by women. The response of national authorities, including the police, prosecutors and judges, remains inadequate in a great number of cases of violence against women.

Progress has been made in recent decades in a number of areas. The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence has entered into force for a number of member states and the Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2014-2017 is well in place. However, much more needs to be done to make gender equality and the fulfilment of women’s rights a reality. The Commissioner for Human Rights has therefore put the human rights of women and the fight against discrimination on the grounds of gender and sex firmly on her agenda.

Women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights

• Issue Paper (2017)
• Special page (also available in French and Russian)

Country reports

• Report on visit to Lithuania from 5 to 9 December 2016, paragraphs 8 to 51
• Report on visit to Ireland from 22 to 25 November 2016, paragraphs 45 to 95 and 169 to 206.
• Report on visit to Latvia from 5 to 9 September 2016, paragraphs 5 to 40
• Report on visit to Poland from 9 to 12 February 2016, paragraphs 128 to 196
• Report on visit to Cyprus from 7 to 11 December 2015, paragraphs 96-104 and 119-122
• Report on visit to San Marino from 9 to 10 June 2015, paragraphs 28 to 45
• Report on visit to Serbia from 16 to 20 March 2015, paragraphs 107 to 124 and paragraphs 133 to 134
• Report on visit to Armenia from 5 to 9 October 2014, paragraphs 93 to 172
• Report on visit to Finland from 11 to 13 June 2012, paragraphs 39 to 47
• Report on visit to Austria from 4 to 6 June 2012, paragraphs 34 to 48

Positions

• Positions on Women’s Rights (2011)

Resources

• Council of Europe Gender Equality website
• Council of Europe Convention on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence website
• Violence against women, Factsheet - European Court of Human rights
• Domestic violence, Factsheet - European Court of Human rights
• Reproductive rights, Factsheet - European Court of Human rights
• Gender equality, Factsheet - European Court of Human Rights

Other

• No excuse should obstruct the ratification and implementation of the Istanbul Convention (March 2018)
• Need to reform abortion law in Malta (February 2018)
• Letter to the Prime Minister of Poland on human rights backsliding in Poland (February 2018)
• Observations and reflections concluding the 4th quarterly activity report 2017 (February 2018) 
• The Istanbul Convention protects women, without hidden purposes (Janvier 2018)
• Letter to the President of the Parliament of Bulgaria on ratification of the Istanbul Convention (January 2018)
• Letter to the Prime Minister of Malta on eradicating violence against women and ensuring access to abortion case (January 2018)
• Gender equality in employment is still a distant promise in Europe (2017)
• Letter to the Ukrainian Parliament on ratification of the Istanbul Convention (2017)
• Statement on International Women’s Day (2017)
• Letter to the Prime Minister of Croatia on ratification of the Istanbul Convention (2017)
• Letter to Latvian parliamentarians concerning the ratification of the Istanbul Convention (2017)
• The duty to combat domestic violence (2017)
• 3rd Quarterly Activity Report (2016), page 20-22 - 9. Obsevations and reflections
• Fighting violence against women must become Europe’s priority (2016)
• Letter to the Czech authorities to adopt the bill on reparations for involuntary sterilisation of Roma women (2015)
• Statement celebrating the International Women’s Day (2015)
• Report of the round-table with human rights defenders (2015)
• Annual activity report (2014), page 31 - Gender Equality
• Five steps to increase women’s safety (2013)