Experts and officials from the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions met in Budapest to discuss how improved data collection can contribute to closing the gender gap in justice systems.
The roundtable aimed to identify practical ways to connect laws, data, and policies to make justice systems accessible for both men and women. It provided an open space for key actors to align legislative, statistical, and policy domains in line with Council of Europe and international gender equality standards.
The meeting also featured the presentation of the regional Eastern Partnership guidelines on data collection practices relevant to women’s access to justice. Participants shared feedback that will be incorporated into the final version of the guidelines, to be published by early 2026.
Access to justice is not the same for everyone. Women and girls face distinct and often invisible barriers when interacting with the justice system, from discriminatory legal provisions and underreporting of gender-based violence, to gaps in judicial and police statistics that fail to reflect gendered patterns.
Discussions during this event showed that collecting and using gender data is vital. Data helps uncover gender inequalities that might otherwise seem unseen, shows where progress is being made, and identifies where further action is needed. Most importantly, it ensures that the experiences of victims are recognised and counted.
“Gender data tools-instruments make justice visible, ensure institutional accountability, and give meaning to the principle of equality before the law”, said one of the participants.
This event was organised within the action “Women’s access to justice in the Western Balkans” and the project “Women's Access to Justice: implementing Council of Europe’s gender equality and violence against women standards”, which are part of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.
