One in five women in Europe experiences some form of gender‑based violence.

Error detected

The claim states that one in five women (20%) experiences some form of gender‑based violence. The EU's own gender‑based violence survey finds that 31% (one in three) experience physical or sexual violence alone — a subset of gender‑based violence. The 20% figure matches only intimate‑partner physical/sexual violence (17.7%), not all gender‑based violence.

Omissions

• The MEP did not cite a source for the figure, making it unclear whether she was referencing the FRA/Eurostat/EIGE survey or older data.
• The EU Gender-Based Violence Survey fieldwork was conducted in 2020–2021; results were published in stages between 2024 and 2026 — this remains the most recent EU-wide data as of the session date (2026‑05‑20).
• The claim conflates the narrower intimate-partner violence statistic (~1 in 5) with the broader category of all gender‑based violence, which is substantially more prevalent.

Sources

• PrimaryEU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)One in three women experience physical and/or sexual violence. Almost one in five face violence at the hands of their intimate partner.
• PrimaryEuropean Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)31% of women experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.
• PrimaryEU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)Close to one in five women in the EU-27 (17.7%) have experienced physical violence or threats and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.