Understanding Psychological Violence against Women

Psychological violence is a common form of gender-based violence that includes any intentional course of conduct that seriously impairs another person’s psychological integrity through coercion or threats.

Psychological violence often co-occurs with or precedes other forms of violence, such as physical, sexual and economic violence. Examples of psychological violence include, but are not limited to, emotional abuse, coercive and controlling behaviours, stalking, and harassment.

There is considerable variation in legal provisions against psychological violence across EU Member States. In 2021, only five Member States had criminal offences specific to psychological violence or coercive control.

Proactive and harmonised measures must be adopted at the EU and Member State levels to effectively combat psychological violence and monitor its prevalence in the EU. The following recommendations can be adopted at the EU and Member State levels to improve data collection and tackle psychological violence against women more broadly.

Read more and download the latest European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) publication