Eradicating violence against women worldwide

Violence against women and girls is a violation of human rights and remains a grim reality worldwide also in 2025, affecting 1 in 3 women globally. From human rights defenders, journalists to ordinary women and girls online – it can affect anyone anywhere. Technology has enabled violence against women and girls to take on a digital dimension, which comes with its own unique sets of challenges. The European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) has been supporting the fight against violence against women and girls worldwide through its projects. A few of them are highlighted below.

Empowering women defenders: healing and resilience in Guatemala

In Guatemala, women human rights defenders - particularly those protecting land and natural resources in Indigenous territories - continue to face discrimination, stigmatization and threats for demanding justice and equality. With our support the Equipo de Estudios Comunitarios y Acción Psicosocial (ECAP) is leading an initiative to strengthen the resilience of indigenous women through psychosocial accompaniment, collective care and empowerment. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has emphasized that “women human rights defenders face a compounded risk due to the intersection of their gender and their activism.” Through care workshops, support groups, and individual counseling, ECAP has supported 74 women defenders and 67 community facilitators - local leaders who now mentor others on their paths to healing and justice.

Within ECAP’s Dignified Women program, strategic meetings helped identify priority groups and design methodologies for psychosocial care workshops held in Huehuetenango, Nebaj (Quiché), Chimaltenango and the Polochic region - areas heavily affected by historical and ongoing social conflict. For many women, this initiative represents the first step toward rebuilding their lives and reclaiming their voices as defenders. By fostering solidarity networks and creating safe spaces for collective healing, ECAP is helping women strengthen their advocacy for human rights, land protection, and justice for past crimes. In a context where women defenders are often excluded and threatened, ECAP’s work stands as an act of resistance and transformation, redefining justice and paving the way for a more dignified and equitable future.

Protecting voices of women human rights defenders in Mexico

As part of its public diplomacy work in Mexico, in 2021, the EU launched the flagship initiative “Protejamos sus voces” “Let’s protect their voices” that highlights the EU and its Member States’ commitment to human rights. The initiative seeks to bring recognition and to increase engagement with human rights defenders and journalists, most of whom are women, who work in high-risk contexts to promote truth, justice and freedom of expression. 

Implemented in cooperation with 11 EU Member States, the initiative is held within the framework of the EU–Mexico High-Level Dialogue on Human Rights. It helps women defenders become key agents of democratic resilience, illustrating how the EU and its Member States transform their political commitments into value-based diplomacy that builds trust, amplifies diverse voices, and stands in solidarity with those protecting civic space.

Combating cyberviolence against women and girls

Online violence is rapidly spreading due to the development of new technologies. Through the joint CyberSEE project with the Council of Europe, the EU works to combat cyberviolence against women in South-East Europe. A recently organised International Conference on Combating Cyberviolence Against Women in Montenegro brought together 75 participants from over 25 countries, including prosecutors, judges, cybercrime investigators, policymakers, and civil society, to advance on gender-responsive approaches within criminal justice systems and sharing of good practices among jurisdictions.

The conference concluded that cyberviolence provisions have to be integrated into broader criminal law reforms, while international standards and practical experiences can guide national efforts to strengthen legal frameworks, improve investigation and prosecution, and ultimately enhance protection for victims. The event thus laid the groundwork for concrete follow-up actions, cooperation and advancement of legislation and practice in this field. In addition, given the limited jurisprudence in this area, participants highlighted the value of establishing a directory of case law on gender-based cyberviolence.

Mongolian peacekeepers champion gender equality

The achievements of the “Mongolian Peacekeepers as Agents for Gender Equality” project mark a significant milestone in advancing gender-responsive peacekeeping. Following specialised training in Slovenia, 22 Mongolian peacekeepers applied their expertise at home through a series of initiatives that promote gender equality, leadership, and inclusion within the armed forces. Supported by the EU, the project underscores the EU’s ongoing commitment to eliminating violence against women and strengthening women’s roles in peace and security.

Following the training, and becoming ‘agents of change’, the project delivered a national-level training for gender focal points, a Women’s Leadership Forum to empower female officers, and cross-sectoral gender sessions involving personnel from the Air Force and the Military Central Hospital. It also engaged senior military leaders through workshops on gender awareness and policy integration, reinforcing equality at decision-making levels. In total, more than 350 peacekeepers, gender focal points, representatives, and senior officers benefited from the initiative. By translating training into tangible action, Mongolian peacekeepers have emerged as champions for gender equality — helping to prevent gender-based violence and advance inclusive peace within their institutions and across international missions.

Supporting media and fighting online gender-based violence in Latin America

The EU is fostering independent and pluralistic media, access to information and the fight against disinformation in Panama, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Ecuador. Through the EU-supported project on democracy development in Latin America, efforts are being made to strengthen the legal protection frameworks and mechanisms for journalists, especially women, and independent media. In April 2025, the project implemented a workshop to address online gender-based violence and it aimed at women and members of the LGBTQ+ community, who, due to their profession or activities (journalists, activists and politicians), are particularly visible on social media and as a result suffer more than other groups from online gender-based violence. The workshop raised public awareness of the extent to which violent and hate speech are normalized online and provided phsychological and technological strategies to address such behaviour. The course also helped participants gain practical skills to identify and protect themselves from online violence and establish networks of mutual support. Both activities have a clear potential to push for the implementation of public policies and legal changes to mitigate online gender-based violence.

Building peace through education: a Talaandig teacher’s journey

Throught the EU-supported BRIDGE Project, which seeks to resolve a two-decade dispute among the Talaandig in Mindanao, the Philippines, the EU supports peace dialogue. 

Elsa is the first in her tribe to graduate from college and has become their first teacher—a source of pride and inspiration. Set against Mindanao’s decades-long conflict, she uses education as a tool for peace: to strengthen relationships, promote dialogue, and open hearts and minds. In her classroom, daily lessons in kindness and understanding build habits that leave less room for harm. And as education reaches more of the tribe, it challenges the discrimination frequently faced by indigenous groups - discrimination that can fuel violence in the first place.

As a community leader, Elsa extends her work beyond the classroom. She served as one of the tribal envoys in the recent peace dialogue, supported by the project. The activity marked a turning point, putting an end to years of violence that had affected many women and children. By stepping into leadership, Elsa breaks the stereotypes that confine women’s roles, pushing back against norms that have kept women at the margins. Her story is a reminder that nurturing peace does not always begin with big programs or formal talks. Sometimes, it begins with a single teacher and community leader walking a mountain path each morning, carrying books and hopes, and showing children that peace can grow from understanding.

Helping Ukraine tackle conflict-related sexual violence

Russia’s war of aggression has brought conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) to Ukraine. To help the country tackle this heinous crime, the EU has mobilised assistance for war crime investigations and international justice for Ukraine since the early days of the full-scale invasion. The EU also supports survivors through working with authorities, international partners and civil society. 

Since 2022,  this action’s overall engagement on CRSV has reached a financial value of EUR 8 million, translating into almost 2000 trained specialists, partnerships with 14 feminist organisations across Ukraine that have received support and one book.

An important aspect of bringing CRSV to justice is to break the silence – at community level, at national level, at global level. This is why our partner Ukrainian Women’s Fund has interviewed over 25 leading international and national experts on war-related sexual violence, and published them in the book “Ukraine is not silent: Chronicles of fighting against war-related sexual violence (2022-2024)”.