The effect of COVID on gender equality: an example from Greece

Gender equality is increasingly discussed in public conversation. It refers to the right of all people, regardless of their gender, to enjoy the same opportunities for the achievement of important goals in society, such as education, employment, income, and to contribute to political, social, and cultural development at all levels. All these result in a healthier democracy and a wealthier economy: GDP increases and businesses thrive as women take on more leadership roles.

When women are given equal rights as men, communities become safer and healthier for everyone. Violence against women is a form of gender-based violence which is directed at a woman because she is a woman. It includes harassment, hate speech and crimes such as femicide, domestic abuse, stalking, and sexual violence, such as rape, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, forced abortions or sterilisation, and human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

Although inequalities still exist, the EU has made significant progress in gender equality. The Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 delivers on the European Commission’s commitment to achieving a Union of Equality. The key objectives of this are tackling gender-based violence, closing gender divisions in the labour market, and addressing gender pay and pension gaps. On 8 March 2022, the European Commission adopted a new EU-wide proposal for a directive to combat violence against women and domestic violence. One of the proposals to achieve this is additional protection for survivors, as well as the criminalisation of and sanctions for offences. 

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on developments related to gender equality. An example of this is Greece. Since the pandemic, an increasing number of women, regardless of age, and in some cases under 18, are assaulted by a partner or family member, trafficked, or even experience femicide, which is the intentional murder of women and girls. Femicide is one of the most extreme forms of  violence against women, and unfortunately, it happens in all European Union Member States and around the world. 

There is no definition of femicide in the Greek Criminal Code. However, this type of offence often falls under other provisions of Greek criminal law. The relevant articles for identifying femicide cases are, inter alia, Articles 299, 302 and 311 (4), that refer to homicide. As a result, some people don’t understand femicide and that it is motivated by none other than the person’s gender. Although there is no specific data collection on femicide in Greece, some variables relevant to the identification of femicide are collected and analysed by the Observatory of the General Secretariat for Family Policy and Gender Equality and the Hellenic police. The latter, since 2023, has put in place a department to tackle domestic violence. To put it into perspective, Greece is currently ranked 8th out of the last 10 countries in the EU to achieve Gender Equality. Eurostat statistics reveal that in 2018 the rate of female victims of homicide in Greece was 0.52 per 100,000 inhabitants, and Greece is eighth from bottom of the 27 Member States on Gender Equality, with 52.5 out of 100 points on the Gender Equality Index. This score is 15.5 points below the EU average. Furthermore, since 2021, police have recorded a soaring number of calls (an increase of 230%) for domestic violence, with some ending in femicides, committed mostly by intimate partners. 

Femicides continued to be committed after the easing of the COVID lockdown measures, and at least one was perpetrated each month at the beginning of 2021. As the United Nations Human Rights Council declares, even with the policy framework in place, Greece is failing to bridge the inequalities between genders because of poor implementation of legislation. In order to tackle this deteriorating situation, we need strong institutions that protect women and children and encourage strengthened coordination and cooperation at national and EU level by ensuring a multi-agency approach and enhanced data collection on violence against women. Politicians should ensure that survivors of gender-based violence are provided support that is tailored to their specific needs. This includes specific support in cases of sexual assault and female genital mutilation, safe access to national helplines, and increased accessibility of shelters. It is also crucial to ensure that national authorities are appropriately equipped to address violence against women, particularly domestic violence, as well as ensuring that survivors are treated sensitively and respectfully.

But the situation in my own country was not the only thing that motivated me to address this issue, as gender-based violence is a concern across the entire EU, as well as in the Eastern Partnership countries. 

In 1998, the Decree on Enhancing the Role of Women in Azerbaijan was signed and the State Committee for Women’s Issues was established. Even though the law prohibits any form of discrimination against women and men, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women was concerned about the situation of many women and girls who have been internally displaced by the three decade-long Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and have limited access to education, employment, healthcare and housing. It also expressed its concerns about the country’s Labour Code, which currently prohibits women from working in 204 professions. Tthat being said, laws such as “ On prevention of Domestic Violence” (2010) were adopted in order to conduct more organised and consistent work for women and to improve the legal framework for ensuring equal rights in all spheres of public life.

Another example of this is the Republic of Moldova. In 2021, Moldova ranked 28^th out of 156 countries, making progress in the last two years in terms of the Global Gender Gap. Nevertheless, women in Moldova still earn 14% less than men on average. COVID has also affected the female labour market to a greater extent (the unemployment rate for women is 30.9% compared to 18.5% for men), while women experience higher rates of domestic violence (an increase in cases of 64.4%). In 2012, Moldova implemented Law no 121 on ensuring Equality. This law focuses on preventing and fighting discriminatory practices and ensures equality in the country. 

While attempts are being made across the region to improve gender equality, often setting a strong legal foundation,more progress is still needed in combating gender-based violence across the European continent. This is why it is so important that we continue to champion EU and EaP cooperation, not only in economics or political realms, but most importantly in the implementation of human rights and gender equality. Because women’s rights are human rights and we will always be #StrongerTogether.