Incidents and evidence are increasingly reported showing that the policy of isolation and confinement leads to increased levels of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence – and therefore to a heightened need of protection against this.
Attention needs to be paid also to the possible longer-term effects of the pandemic on the balance between professional and personal life and on women’s economic independence, since it may force many of them to make difficult choices and to move to unpaid work.

Most member states, international organisations and non-governmental organisations are taking action to tackle the specific impact of the COVID-19 crisis on women’s rights. Through this information page, the Council of Europe aims at disseminating information about initiatives, practices, statements, and guidelines put in place, notably in line with the spirit of the Istanbul Convention. By clicking on the boxes below, you will be redirected to four pages containing respectively information on action undertaken by our member states, on the Council of Europe institutional response (official documents, statements etc.), and on the initiatives by other international organisations and by NGOs. Information on national measures was collected following a call for submissions issued jointly by the Gender Equality Commission and the Committee of the Parties to the Istanbul Convention.

We hope this information can be a source of inspiration for further action to the benefit of all those impacted by the crisis.