Newsroom Cyberviolence against women
8 March 2025 | International Women's Day: How far have we come?
Every year, the International Women’s Day is an opportunity to take a look back at the steps taken in the field of women’s rights and equality. In particular, the past year has seen significant advancements in strengthening legal frameworks to combat cyberviolence. In May 2024, European...
Women as equal partners in the AI revolution: a call for gender equality in the digital age
“The AI and digital revolution must also be a revolution for gender equality,” says Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset ahead of International Women’s Day. “Together, we can break down barriers to build a future where women and girls lead, innovate, and drive the digital world...
Deadline: 30 April 2025
Octopus Conference 2025: Registration is now open!
Registration is now open for this year’s Octopus Conference, which will take place between 4-6 June, in Strasbourg, France! Registration form to attend the Octopus Conference 2025 The conference will provide an opportunity to interface for cybercrime experts from public and private sectors as...
New project in Bosnia and Herzegovina aims to support authorities for combating digital and sexual violence against women
The Council of Europe has launched a new project in Bosnia and Herzegovina to support BiH authorities in aligning laws, policies, and practices with Council of Europe standards for combating digital and sexual violence against women. These standards primarily include the Istanbul Convention, case...
New GREVIO report on 2023 activities highlights digital dimension of violence against women
The recent GREVIO (Group of Experts on Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence) report on last year's activities dedicates a section to the role and importance of risk assessment and management in preventing and combating violence against women. It explores the digital dimension of...
Committee of Experts on tech-facilitated violence against women and girls holds first meeting
The Committee of Experts on combating technology-facilitated violence against women and girls (GEC/PC-eVIO) held its first meeting on 1-2 October 2024 in Strasbourg. The primary objective of this group is to formulate a Recommendation addressing technology-facilitated violence against women and...
8 March 2024 | International Women's Day: How far have we come?
Once again, International Women’s Day is an opportunity to look back at what has been achieved in the field of violence – and more specifically for us, cyberviolence – against women. While research continues to highlight gender inequalities in terms of exposure to cyberviolence, the...
Cyberviolence against women addressed by Council and European Parliament in first EU-wide law
A first-ever EU-wide instrument agreed upon by the Council and European Parliament addresses all forms of violence against women, including cyberviolence. “This is a big step forward to better protect women and girls from violence, whether at home, at work, on our streets, off-line or on-line....
Members of the European Parliament demand EU regulation of “virtual worlds”
In a recent report by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), while it is acknowledged that the current “virtual worlds” are primarily developed by companies located outside the EU, EU is encouraged to take on a leading role in their development. The report condemns technologies as being a...
Cyberviolence Resource presented during the Octopus Conference 2023
Between 13-15 December 2023, Octopus Conference 2023 took place in Bucharest, Romania. The Octopus Conference, organised every 12 to 18 months by the Council of Europe, constitutes one of the biggest and finest platforms of exchange in cybercrime gathering experts from more than 100 countries,...
25 November - International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
Violence against women and girls is a rising phenomenon that knows no geographical boundary, age limit or colour bar. It can take many forms, including domestic or online violence. Statistics not only show that 12% to 15% of women in Europe face domestic violence every day but, according to a...
Combatting digital and sexual violence against women in Bosnia and Herzegovina
A recent Council of Europe project started in June 2023 on "Combatting digital and sexual violence against women in Bosnia and Herzegovina“, will support authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to further align their legislation, policies and practices to the standards of the Council of Europe...
Istanbul Convention enters into force in respect of the European Union
1 October 2023 marked the entry into force of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS 210) in respect of the European Union, which became the 38th Party to the Convention. As the most far-reaching legally binding human rights...
Role of men and boys in combatting online violence against women addressed at Council of Europe conference
On 27 April, a conference was co-organised by the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, addressing the role of men and boys in combating all types of violence against women, including in the digital sphere. The conference provided an opportunity to discuss and promote...
67th session of Commission on the Status of Women marks major landmark
The sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which took place from 6 to 17 March 2023 in New York, was the first in the Commission’s history to have a specific focus on gender equality and digital technologies. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and...
8 March 2023: International Women’s Day is opportunity to take stock of progress
International Women’s Day is a yearly opportunity to take stock of progress in the field of violence against women, while raising awareness of the leftover pressing issues. Evidence continues to show that women and girls are more exposed to types of cyberviolence than men. Published in 2022, the...
Joining forces for high-level conference on digital violence against women
A conference on digital violence against women was held on 6 December under the Icelandic Presidency of the Council of Europe and organised jointly with the Violence against Women Division and the Cybercrime Division of the Council of Europe . Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the...
New thematic paper on the digital dimension of violence against women as addressed by the EDVAW Platform
This month, the Platform of Independent Expert Mechanisms on Discrimination and Violence against Women (EDVAW Platform) launched its first thematic paper on the digital dimension of violence against women as addressed by its seven mechanisms. This paper was adopted under the presidency of the...
Statement by Committee of Ministers Chair, Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
“On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, I reaffirm Iceland’s steadfast commitment to gender equality and the protection of the hard-earned progress concerning the human rights of women and girls. Together, we must combat all forms of violence against women and...
European Institute for Gender Equality publishes in-depth report into ‘cyberviolence against women and girls’ phenomenon
Evidence continues to show that women and girls are more exposed to types of cyberviolence than men. It is often dismissed as insignificant as it relates ‘only’ to the virtual world. However, online violence often leaks into the victim’s physical world, resulting in serious physical, sexual,...