Luxembourg Presents Gender-Based Violence Action Plan Amid Rising Cases

On Monday 30 June 2025, Luxembourg's Minister for Gender Equality and Diversity, Yuriko Backes, presented the country's first national action plan dedicated to combating gender-based violence.

Adopted by the Government Council (Cabinet) on Friday 20 June 2025, the action plan is based on the four pillars of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the "Istanbul Convention".

The plan proposes eight strategic measures: training, awareness-raising, a legal framework for victim protection, accountability of perpetrators, support for victims and perpetrators, data collection, governance of policies combating all forms of violence, and international solidarity. It currently includes 62 projects to be implemented by ten ministries. While it is considered a living document, an external evaluation is planned three years after its adoption. The plan also emphasises cooperation with civil society, notably through an NGO Forum.

"This action plan marks a decisive step in our commitment to combating gender-based violence. It reflects our political will to build a fairer, safer and more inclusive society for all," Minister Backes emphasised. She reaffirmed her determination, alongside the partners of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Diversity, to "make the fight against and prevention of violence a national priority, because our slogan: 'You are not alone, there is help' must not remain a dead letter."

Minister Backes also presented figures from the 2024 annual report of the Committee for Cooperation between Professionals in the Field of Combating Violence. The report highlights the evolution of domestic violence in Luxembourg, which remains a major societal problem despite the joint efforts of the government and its partners. This is reflected in the rise in the two key parameters for measuring domestic violence in Luxembourg: police interventions and expulsions.

In 2024, police recorded 1,178 domestic violence interventions (up from 1,057 in 2023), leading to 287 expulsions (compared to 246 in 2023). This represents an average of 98 police interventions and 24 expulsions per month. According to Minister Backes, these concerning figures show that "domestic violence remains a daily reality in Luxembourg and send a clear signal to us to continue strengthening our efforts to combat all forms of violence and to expand our support services for victims and perpetrators, as well as our awareness-raising and prevention efforts."

The minister also highlighted the opening of the National Centre for Victims of Violence (Centre National pour Victimes de Violences - CNVV) in April 2025. The CNVV provides unconditional reception and emergency care to victims of all forms of violence, offering comprehensive support based on four pillars: psychosocial care, medical assistance, police intervention and legal information.