Care, courage, change: health-sector leadership in tackling violence against women and girls

Overview

Violence against women and girls remains a pervasive public health emergency in the WHO European Region, affecting nearly one in three women over their lifetime. This report presents updated prevalence estimates and a comprehensive analysis of 241 national policies across 53 countries, revealing critical gaps in health sector responses. While 87% of countries have multisectoral strategies, fewer than half integrate violence against women into health policies or clinical guidelines. Essential survivor-centred services – such as emergency contraception, safe abortion, HIV prophylaxis, mental health care and referrals – are insufficiently included in policies. Mandatory reporting requirements for health professionals against the wishes of adult survivors in 32% of countries risk undermining survivors’ autonomy and access to care. Encouragingly, 75% of countries commit to training health workers, and 68% include first line support for survivors. The report calls for urgent strengthening of health systems to provide compassionate, confidential and comprehensive care aligned with WHO recommendations and human rights standards, emphasizing survivor dignity and empowerment in a multisectoral approach to end violence against women.