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A. Draft resolution
(open)
Report | Doc. 16211 | 24 June 2025
Women's rights in Europe – Progress and challenges
Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination
A. Draft resolution 
(open)1. For decades, the advancement
of women's rights has been a defining force in shaping more equitable societies,
with growing female participation in economic, public, cultural
and political life. Several Council of Europe member States have
already had a woman head of State or government for the first time,
while the increase in the number of women members of parliament
has contributed to making those bodies more representative of the
populations they serve. Discussions on gender equality have thus
become a part of public discourse and legal standards have changed
to reflect or inspire progress. The Parliamenty Assembly stresses that
gender equality and the rights of women, in all their diversity,
are cornerstones of democracy.
2. However, recent years have witnessed an erosion of women’s
rights worldwide, with growing challenges that may be viewed as
resistance to change or a reaction to past and recent achievements.
These obstacles arise against the backdrop of increasingly polarised
societies, in a time of “cultural wars” and ideological tensions.
This erosion is certainly a feature of the current threat of democratic
backsliding. In some cases, external influences, including those
from foreign powers, seem to contribute to this climate, complicating
the efforts to consolidate and expand women's rights. Resolution 2290 (2019) “Towards an ambitious Council of Europe agenda for gender
equality” denounces the fact that “certain government forces and
non-State actors are targeting long-acquired rights and previously
agreed language is being questioned”. According to the 2021 report
“Tip of the Iceberg”, published by the European Parliamentary Forum
for Sexual & Reproductive Rights (EPF), between 2009 and 2018
over 700-million Euros originating from various actors in the United
States, the Russian Federation and Europe funded anti-gender equality
activity within the European Union. A 2024 report from the United
Nations Working Group on discrimination against women and girls,
“Escalating backlash against gender equality and urgency of reaffirming
substantive equality and the human rights of women and girls”, warns
about this backlash, “which has reached extreme proportions in certain
countries, including gender apartheid”, and calls for a commitment
to substantive gender equality and for co-ordinated efforts to counter the
gender backlash globally.
3. Calls for a return to so-called traditional family values
are questioning the benefits of the advancement of women’s rights
for society as a whole, or even portraying women’s rights’ defenders
as a threat to families. Politicians promoting traditional roles
for women are attracting attention in the media on this theme, which
is gaining some traction in the public consciousness. The Assembly
expresses concern with regard to the political instrumentalisation
of family values to undermine women’s rights and deplores the spread
of gendered disinformation and the growing backlash against women’s
rights in Europe. For attacks against women’s rights are attacks
against democratic values.
4. The increasing popularity, particularly on social media, of
“masculinists”, advocating the submission of women to men, is a
particular reason for concern, as is a growing climate of misogyny.
Unchecked social media algorithms amplify these voices and tend
to silence the more inclusive ones. The harmful impact of sexist propaganda
on young people’s mindsets, particularly among boys, has been observed
by experts. Recently, the popular television series Adolescence has raised awareness
and debate around this phenomenon. In its Resolution 2480 (2023) “The role and responsibility of men and boys in stopping
gender-based violence against women and girls”, the Assembly recognised
the responsibility of men and boys to be proactive in combating
this scourge.
5. With the exception of Andorra, parliaments in Europe remain
male-dominated, including in leadership and decision-making positions,
and such under-representation of women in parliamentary life undermines democratic
institutions and processes. The Assembly welcomes General Recommendation
No. 40 on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making
systems, adopted in October 2024 by the United Nations Committee
on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), as well
as the Kigali Declaration, adopted at the 145th Assembly of the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in October 2022, entitled “Gender
equality and gender-sensitive parliaments as drivers of change for
a more resilient and peaceful world”. The Assembly calls for the
full implementation of its Resolution ... (2025) “Promoting inclusive participation
in parliamentary life: gender equality, accessibility and inclusive
policies”.
6. According to the latest survey by the European Union Agency
for Fundamental Rights, one in three women is a survivor of gender-based
violence in Europe. The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing
and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS
No. 210, the “Istanbul Convention”), which entered into force on
1 August 2014, is recognised globally as a key text, and the Assembly
welcomes the fact that countering violence against women and domestic
violence is constantly recognised as a political priority within
the Council of Europe. However, the withdrawal of Türkiye from the
Istanbul Convention constitutes a warning signal, not least because
Turkish civil society organisations have reported that this decision
was preceded by a growing backlash against the concept of gender
and, consequently, of gender equality. Gravely concerned that violence
against women and femicide are still an everyday occurrence within
Europe and beyond, the Assembly calls for stronger financial support
to transform commitment into tangible change.
7. Female politicians are especially targeted by hate speech
and online and offline threats of violence or acts of violence.
At the Assembly Conference of Speakers of Parliament held on 20
and 21 March 2025, the speakers stressed that attacks against women
politicians aim at intimidating them, obstructing their participation,
and pushing them out of the public sphere and back into the private
domain. They called for systematic investigation and condemnation
of any form of violence against politicians.
8. In its Resolution
1860 (2012) “Advancing women’s rights worldwide”, the Assembly called
on member States to step up efforts to combat discrimination against
women and to give more political weight to gender equality issues
and women’s rights. This call remains necessary. The Assembly recognises
that vulnerable groups are at a higher risk of cumulative forms
of discrimination and calls for concrete measures to prevent intersectional
discrimination. The Assembly is particularly concerned about attacks
against women with a minority background, women with disabilities
and LBTI women and about significant levels of gendered discrimination
in the fields of housing, employment and healthcare. In its Resolution 2576 (2024) “Preventing and combating violence and discrimination
against lesbian, bisexual and queer women in Europe”, the Assembly
stressed that they are especially targeted by anti-gender movements,
which attack women’s rights and the rights of LGBTI persons and
attempt to silence them or deny them their legitimate place in public spaces.
Once again, the Assembly highlights that attacks against women’s
rights and LGBTI rights weaken the fabric of our democratic societies.
9. Recalling its Resolution
2554 (2024) “Protecting women human rights defenders in Europe”,
the Assembly reiterates its constant support for women’s human rights
defenders in Council of Europe member States and beyond, and calls
for their protection from undue pressure, intimidation and violence.
In the present context, particular attention must be paid to online
hate speech, which increasingly targets human rights defenders,
making them also vulnerable to further attacks, including physical
violence. The Assembly recalls that women human rights defenders
in all their diversity play a crucial role in promoting and protecting
human rights, including women’s rights and the rights of LGBTI persons,
and in furthering gender equality.
10. Sexual and reproductive health and rights epitomise the conflict
between progress and new challenges in women’s rights. Despite some
significant advancements over the past few decades, with progress
in access to education, healthcare, contraception, and medical innovations,
they have also faced a growing number of obstacles in recent years.
Referring to Resolution
2331 (2020) “Empowering women: promoting access to contraception
in Europe”, the Assembly reiterates that access to modern contraception
is crucial to women’s empowerment, by increasing their decision-making
power and autonomy, individually and within the household, enabling
them to plan employment and professional development more efficiently
and leading to an improved balance between private and work life.
11. Comprehensive sexuality education has the potential to contribute
significantly to advancing gender equality. It should cover issues
including contraception and the prevention of sexually transmitted
infections; gender equality, gender norms and stereotypes; prevention
of and protection from sexual, gender-based and domestic violence;
sexual orientation and gender identity and expression; self-determination
and consent in relationships; and personal interaction. In Resolution 2490 (2023) “Innovative approaches to sexual and reproductive health
and rights”, the Assembly states that comprehensive sexuality education
should be both a mandatory part of all school curricula, and a right
that is recognised for all.
12. Highlighting that most Council of Europe member States recognise
the right to abortion, the Assembly stresses that once this right
has been established, it is also necessary to guarantee access to
free, legal, and safe abortion for all who seek it, ensuring legal
certainty as a fundamental principle of the rule of law. As highlighted
by Resolution 2439 (2022) “Access to abortion in Europe: stopping anti-choice
harassment”, in many Council of Europe member States anti-choice
activists conduct campaigns of harassment targeting women’s human
rights defenders, healthcare professionals, politicians and people
seeking abortion care. Such harassment is a violation of fundamental
rights, including the right to respect for private and family life,
freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and association. Attempts
to control women’s bodies are nothing less than attacks against
their human rights and a way to silence them.
13. The Assembly expresses concern at the low and/or decreasing
level of funding for sexual and reproductive health programmes,
gender studies and research on women’s health throughout Europe.
The advancement of women’s rights – taking a feminist perspective
– requires robust and constant investment in these fields.
14. The persisting gender pay gap and pension gap create long-lasting
economic inequalities. As stressed by Resolution 2589 (2025) “Women in the economy: employment, entrepreneurship
and gender-responsive budgeting”, there is an urgent need to change
mindsets with regard to the place of women in the economy. The Assembly
reiterates that gender equality benefits society as a whole and
that investing in women’s participation in the economy has immediate
but also long-term positive benefits.
15. The Assembly recognises the urgent need to eradicate poverty
in all its forms, including extreme, multidimensional and intergenerational
poverty, as well as the feminisation of poverty, and to address
global economic inequality. Women and girls, particularly in rural
areas and indigenous communities, remain disproportionately affected
by poverty and exclusion. Addressing these issues should rank high
among the priorities of the foreign policies of Council of Europe
member States, particularly for those who pursue feminist diplomacy.
16. The Assembly expresses its solidarity with women fighting
for their basic rights in totalitarian and theocratic regimes, in
Europe and beyond, and supports the work of civil society organisations
endeavouring to improve conditions for these women by providing
education and other services. The Assembly reiterates its call to
Council of Europe member States that are Parties to the Rome Statute
of the International Criminal Court to consider proposing an amendment
to the statute in order to include the crime of “gender apartheid”,
which is the institutionalisation of gender-based discrimination
and exclusion of women and girls from all spheres of society. The
Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment provides an opportunity to
raise awareness about the work of women human rights defenders to
empower women in their countries and fields of activity.
17. Current wars and conflicts across the world have a devastating
effect on women and girls, who are moreover subject to sexual violence
and rape as a weapon of war, as well as human trafficking.
18. In the light of all the above concerns, and referring to the
political declaration on the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World
Conference on Women, adopted at the 69th edition of the Commission
on the Status of Women, the Assembly considers that 2025 represents
a pivotal opportunity to advance towards the full implementation
of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Noting the recognition
in this declaration that no country has yet achieved full gender
equality, with progress hindered by persistent structural barriers, discriminatory
laws, gender stereotypes, and negative social norms, the Assembly
considers that there is no room for complacency. The reduction of
funding especially from the United States has also had a negative impact
on programmes aimed at ensuring equal rights for women.
19. Seeing an urgent need for concerted and innovative efforts
to provide a response to the false discourse of anti-gender movements,
the Assembly welcomes the work currently being undertaken by the
Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Commission to develop positive
narratives that will work to promote gender equality and prevent
and combat violence against women. It looks forward to the outcome
of this work, which is intended to be used by the Council of Europe
and its member States in awareness-raising and communication activities.
20. In the light of these considerations, the Assembly calls on
the member and observer States of the Council of Europe, and States
whose parliament enjoys observer or partner for democracy status
with the Assembly:
20.1. with regard
to preventing and combating violence against women and domestic
violence, and with the aim of tackling the current low reporting
rates and the high levels of impunity, to:
20.1.1. take measures to prevent sexual violence in wars and conflict
and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice;
20.1.2. ratify and implement, if they have not yet done so, the
Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence
against Women and Domestic Violence;
20.1.3. invest in awareness-raising campaigns on preventing violence
against women and domestic violence and on the services available
for survivors of gender-based violence;
20.1.4. provide adequate funding for support services for survivors
of gender-based violence;
20.1.5. provide training to police and the judiciary on preventing
and combating gender-based violence;
20.1.6. take measures to prevent and combat online forms of gender-based
violence against women;
20.1.7. provide comprehensive sexuality education in schools,
including on consent;
20.2. with regard to ensuring access to sexual and reproductive
health and rights, to:
20.2.1. ensure
that obstructing a person’s access to legal abortion care or to
relevant information is prohibited and criminally or otherwise sanctioned;
the prohibited conduct should include online activities and prevent
anti-choice organisations from misrepresenting themselves as neutral
or pro-choice organisations;
20.2.2. introduce buffer zones near reproductive healthcare facilities
and any organisation providing relevant information, so as to avoid
disruption of the activities of medical institutions providing abortion
care and ensure the safety of people seeking such care, including
post-abortion care;
20.2.3. provide reliable information on reproductive rights and
services, including abortion care, and take the necessary measures
to counteract misinformation and disinformation on abortion; these
measures should include specific monitoring to detect the possible
spread of misinformation and disinformation, openly or covertly,
by anti-choice organisations;
20.2.4. take steps to prevent and counter networks of individuals
and organisations created with the aim of harassing pro-choice activists
and politicians as well as those seeking an abortion;
20.2.5. ensure effective access to legal abortion care, when provided
for by national legislation, and relevant and objective counselling
by qualified healthcare professionals; conscientious objection by
professionals – where permitted by law – should never constitute
a barrier to genuine and timely access to legal abortion care;
20.2.6. effectively investigate and prosecute online and offline
hate speech – including coordinated attacks – targeting human rights
defenders;
20.2.7. provide information and training to law-enforcement officers
and members of the judiciary to ensure that they have knowledge
of the extent and impact of anti-choice activities;
20.3. with regard to increasing women’s political participation,
to:
20.3.1. ensure through legislative
and/or other means the balanced participation of women and men in
all areas of parliamentary life, and especially in decision-making
roles;
20.3.2. set up a gender parity goal for political representation
in national parliaments, conduct a national assessment of the situation,
and develop a strategic plan to reach this goal through specific
measures;
20.3.3. promote and support networks for women parliamentarians,
including women’s caucuses in national parliaments;
20.3.4. develop specific programmes to engage with male politicians
as partners and champions, working together with female leaders
to achieve gender equality in politics;
20.4. with regard to preventing and combating sexism, gender-based
discrimination and gender stereotypes, to:
20.4.1. adopt and implement ambitious gender equality strategies,
including gender budgeting;
20.4.2. promote gender mainstreaming in public administrations,
in political parties and in the private sector;
20.4.3. launch educational programmes on preventing and combating
gender stereotypes in school, from the earliest years;
20.4.4. work with media outlets on awareness-raising campaigns
on preventing and combating gender stereotypes;
20.4.5. promote the development of critical thinking to counter
sexism and violence in the content, language and illustrations of
toys, comics, books, television, video and other games, online content
and films, including pornography, which shape the attitudes, behaviour
and identity of girls and boys;
20.4.6. ensure that the development and regulation of artificial
intelligence is carried out in a way which does not infringe on
women’s rights;
20.4.7. raise awareness of countering gendered disinformation,
online and offline, and guarantee full access to information on
women’s rights;
20.4.8. support civil society organisations working in this field;
20.4.9. impose pay transparency in order to expose gender pay
gaps and legislate on pay equality;
20.4.10. invest in gender studies and in medical research on women’s
health to reduce gender inequalities and improve access to treatments.
21. Referring to its Resolution
2274 (2019) “Promoting parliaments free of sexism and sexual harassment” and
the #NotInMyParliament initiative led by the former President of
the Assembly, Liliane Maury Pasquier, the Assembly calls on national
parliaments to step up their efforts to prevent and combat violence
against women members of parliament and parliamentary staff.
22. The Assembly also calls on national parliaments to hold regular
debates on the protection of women’s rights and on the issues raised
in this resolution, and to focus on securing and mainstreaming women’s
rights both in national legislation and in policies throughout all
fields of life.