- A leading UK charity warns of a surge in domestic abuse cases involving AI and digital technology, including abusers misusing smart devices, surveillance tech and AI to stalk, track, and manipulate victims — with referrals up sharply in the last quarter of 2025.
🚨 A violent incident in Spain
- In Valladolid, Spain, a man was detained for allegedly attempting to drown his partner in a bathtub; both the man and the woman ended up arrested under different charges after police intervention.
🧑⚖️ Policy debate in Spain
- Over 20 Spanish organizations have signed an open letter opposing a draft law on violencia vicaria (using children as a weapon in abuse), arguing it weakens protections and lacks a strong gender‑based approach despite high numbers of gender violence complaints and insufficient suspension of abusive parents’ visitation rights.
⚖️ France — domestic violence systems under review
- Two years after France implemented specialized domestic violence court units, progress is mixed; while cases are more visible and partnerships with support groups have grown, advocates say implementation is uneven, and femicide rates have continued rising, prompting calls for stronger judicial reform.
🪪 Broader European context (recent data and debates)
EU-level commitment and legal framework
- The European Union has adopted strong new laws to combat gender‑based violence and domestic abuse and ratified the Istanbul Convention, a legally binding treaty focused on prevention, protection and prosecution.
Statistical trends
- In 2023, about 4.1 women per million in the EU were killed by family or intimate partners, nearly double the rate for men, highlighting ongoing femicide risk within the bloc.
Calls for prevention and early intervention
- EU equality ministers have recently called for greater focus on prevention, early detection, and bystander empowerment to better identify and respond to domestic and gender‑based violence across member states.
Controversies around withdrawal from protections
- Amnesty International has criticised Latvia’s parliament after it voted to exit the Istanbul Convention, warning this could weaken safeguards for victims of domestic violence and gender‑based abuse.
📊 Social dynamics and reporting
Under‑reporting remains a concern
- In the EU, a large share of incidents go unreported: only about one in eight women who have experienced violence report it to police, while many more tell friends or seek informal support.
Feminicide studies
- Countries like Latvia, Lithuania, and Austria have shown some of the highest femicide rates within Europe, though overall EU rates vary widely between states.
📌 Takeaway
Domestic violence continues to be a major social and policy issue across Europe — with:
- rising concern about digital and tech‑enabled abuse,
- active policy debates on legal protections and definitions,
- persistent under‑reporting, and
- ongoing violence and femicide cases prompting civil society and government responses.
