Key issues
- Sexual violence and consent have been the subject of public debate. In autumn of 2025 a draft legislation was completed at the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs. If the draft of the consent act is adopted, it would be an important step in advancing the field of gender equality.
- During the reporting period, the process of adoption was suspended for two acts that are important for the field of gender equality – the Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities Act and the Hate Speech Act.
- The biggest problem for gender equality, based on the EIGE index, is inequality in economic and social power.
- A worrying trend is the sharp increase in misogynistic attitudes among school-age young men.
Political and institutional developments
National trends for gender equality are still captured in the “Wellbeing Development Plan 2023–2030”[1], which describes the current situation, challenges and trends of gender equality and equal opportunities. Additionally, it discusses domestic violence and victim support. The stated objectives include increasing efficiency of legal protection in this field, changing societal attitudes into ones those more appreciative and supportive of gender equality, increasing economic equality of women and men, ensuring balanced participation of women and men on all levels of decision-making and management, etc.
The current coalition agreement does not mention gender equality, gender or sex. Point number 400 of the coalition agreement could be considered as developing gender equality – “adopt the “yes”-version of the consent act”.[2] This promise would bring the current Penal Code in Estonia into accordance with the Istanbul Convention.
On 23 April 2025, the Riigikogu, with 75 votes in favour and 0 against, approved Estonia’s accession to the Optional Protocol to CEDAW (The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women)[3], which aims to provide additional protection to ensure the principles set out in the Convention on the Rights of Women. Once the Optional Protocol enters into force, individuals and associations will have the opportunity to submit complaints to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women about violations of the rights set out in the convention. The committee may also, in the event of persistent violation of women’s rights, initiate an investigation on its own initiative and make recommendations to Estonia.
At the time of writing this report, the first thematic evaluation by the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) is underway. GREVIO is an independent human rights monitoring body, that monitors the implementation of Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Council of Europe Treaty Series No. 210, Istanbul Convention) by the states parties to the convention. Estonia has submitted a national report in May 2025[4], a GREVIO visit will take place in October 2026, and the final results will be published by 2026.[5]
Legislative developments
The Ministry of Justice has prepared a draft legislation amending the Penal Code, or the so-called draft on the consent act, in which the state has opted for the yes-model[6], which means that once the act comes into force, rape will be defined primarily through lack of consent – an amendment that would bring the Estonian Penal Code into accordance with the Istanbul Convention.[7] The yes-model gives victims of sexual violence a more efficient protection.[8] According to the coalition agreement and the timetable set by the Ministry of Justice, the draft should be voted on in the parliament in autumn of 2025.
The state, involving interest groups and experts, developed a draft legislation framing the areas of gender equality and equal treatment, which would combine two existing acts (the Gender Equality Act and the Equal Treatment Act) and approach the issue of equality in a more intersectional way than before. At the end of 2024, the Minister of Justice abandoned the ready draft, commissioned a new one from the private sector[9], and has not shared information about the draft process with representatives of the field[10], and the process is at a standstill.
The so-called hate speech draft legislation passed the first reading in Riigikogu[11], the process of passing it has not moved forward in 2024 and 2025.
Case law
The Supreme Court overturned the acquittal of the accused on the rape charge and emphasised that consent for sexual intercourse must exist both when entering the intercourse and at the time of its occurrence. The Supreme Court pointed out that the lower courts violated the rules of assessing evidence because they favoured the statements of the accused, assigning them a predetermined weight, and failed to eliminate inconsistencies with other evidence. In contrast, the courts imposed unreasonably strict requirements on the reliability of the of the victim’s testimony. The Supreme Court sent the criminal case back to the district court for a new hearing.[12]
Statistics and surveys
In 2024, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) published the gender equality index[13], according to which Estonia has improved its ranking by one place, but is still behind the European average with 60.8 points. Estonia ranks 21st among the European Union countries. Estonia’s position in the lower ranks is primarily explained by indicators of economic and social power.
The gender pay gap in 2024 was 13.2%. Compared to the previous year, the gender gap increased (0.1 percentage points)[14]. The largest gender pay gap is in finance and insurance – 25.5%.[15] Estonia has improved its position in European comparison and is no longer in the last place in terms of pay equality, but remains below the European average.[16]
According to the “Estonian Women’s Health Survey 2024”[17] published in the beginning of 2025, 42% of all respondents had experienced physical violence, 41% mental violence, and 35% sexual violence in their lifetime. According to the doctors who conducted the study, the frequent violence that is experienced reflects the lack of consent culture.[18]
Gender inequality and its reproduction in Estonian culture were highlighted from various aspects by research conducted the think tank Praxis. Among other things, the normalisation of misogyny in Estonian media[19], gender inequality in top management[20], and stereotypes in pre-trial investigations of sexual violence were described.[21] In the latter it was also pointed out that the impact of the attitudes of specialists, including judges, involved in the proceedings of rape cases, and the lack of awareness about sexual violence were considered so significant that, according to the experts interviewed, they could potentially affect court decisions in rape cases.[22]
Promising and good practices
A good practice promoting gender equality is distributing free menstrual products in schools. Although solving the problem of menstrual poverty began earlier, several municipalities, including Tallinn, joined the initiative in 2024 and 2025.[23]
Noteworthy public discussions
Discussions continued in 2024 and 2025 around the consent act, or how to amend the existing Penal Code so that it would give victims of sexual violence better protection. On 2 October, the forum on the consent act took place in Tallinn under the leadership of the President Kaljulaid Foundation, with experts from Estonian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Swedish and German judicial and medical systems and civil society, as well as top Estonian politicians taking part.[24] The experts taking part in the forum predominantly indicated support for the yes-model of the consent act.[25]
In the first half of 2025, the Tabasalu Pihlakodu case came under intense public attention. During its coverage, the nature of sexual violence, protection of marginalised groups, consent and responsibility of the prosecutor’s office were discussed, among other things.[26] The incident also spurred citizen activism, for example, the NGO Seksuaalvägivalla Vaba Eesti (Sexual Violence Free Estonia) consisting of volunteers, was established.[27]
Trends and outlook
Both globally and in Estonia the worrying trend has emerged of radicalisation of young men, supported by misogynistic narratives that are spreading rapidly through algorithms on social media.[28] The results of the 2022 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement international civic educational survey published at the end of 2023 indicated a sharp increase in misogynistic attitudes among young Estonian men, compared to the previous period, and a growing ideological gap between young men and girls.[29] To stop radicalisation, an international regulation of social media platforms that would more effectively stop the ubiquitous spread of hate and misogynistic narratives would be needed.
Recommendations
- Bring the Penal Code of Estonia into accordance with the Istanbul Convention and adopt the draft legislation amending the Penal Code (the yes-model of the consent act).
- Cultivate consent culture by training professionals coming into contact with victims and perpetrators of sexual violence in their profession.
- Put the Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities Act draft legislation back on the agenda and prioritise the draft that included experts and the civil society in its drafting process.
- In order to prevent the wider spread of misogyny and gender-based violence, include the topic of gender stereotypes in curriculums of general education schools as well as professional standards of teachers.
[1] Sotsiaalministeerium. 2023. Heaolu arengukava 2023–2030, 23.02.2023.
[2] Vabariigi Valitsus. 2025. Eesti Reformierakonna ja Erakonna Eesti 200 valitsusliidu alusleping, 24.03.2025.
[3] Riigikogu. 2025. Hääletustulemused 23.04.2025 / 14:53, 23.04.2025.
[4] Council of Europe. 2025. Report submitted by Estonia pursuant to Article 68, paragraph 1 of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (First thematic evaluation round), 15.05.2025.
[5] Council of Europe Portal. 2025. GREVIO receives the state report from Estonia, 19.05.2025.
[6] ERR. 2025. Eesti valis nõusolekuseaduses jah-mudeli, 19.08.2025.
[7] Feministeerium. 2025. Arvamus karistusseadustiku muutmise seaduse eelnõu (nn nõusolekuseaduse eelnõu) kohta, 28.08.2025
[8] Feministeerium. 2025. Arvamus karistusseadustiku muutmise seaduse eelnõu väljatöötamiskavatsuse (nn nõusolekuseaduse VTK) kohta, 15.01.2025
[9] Vabariigi Valitsus. 2025. Eesti Reformierakonna ja Erakonna Eesti 200 valitsusliidu alusleping, 24.03.2025.
[10] ERR. 2024. Riik tellis uue soolise võrdsuse seaduse eelnõu advokaadibüroolt, 20.11.2024.
[11] ERR. 2025. Võrdse kohtlemise saladus: riik peidab riigi eest dokumente, 07.02.2025.
[12] Riigikogu. 2023. Karistusseadustiku, kriminaalmenetluse seadustiku ja väärteomenetluse seadustiku muutmise seadus (vaenu õhutamine ja vaenumotiiviga kuriteod) 232 SE, 12.06.2023.
[13] Riigikohus. 2024. Riigkohtu kriminaalkolleegiumi 31.10.2024 otsus kohtuasjas 1-23-2872, 31.10.2024.
[14] Euroopa Soolise Võrdõiguslikkuse Instituut (EIGE). 2024. Gender Equality Index 2024: Estonia, veebis 16.11.2025.
[15] Statistikaamet. 2025. Sooline palgalõhe on suurim finants- ja kindlustustegevuses, 24.04.2025.
[16] Ibid.
[17] Eurostat. 2025. Gender pay gap in unadjusted form, 25.02.2025.
[18] Part K, Laanpere M, Ringmets I, Eltermaa M, Hein M, Kond K, Tõniste G, Alafrange M, Paju K, Lõhmus L, Karro H. Eesti naiste tervis 2024: seksuaal- ja reproduktiivtervis, tervisekäitumine, hoiakud ja tervishoiuteenuste kasutamine. Uurimisaruanne. Tartu: Tartu Ülikooli naistekliinik ja seksuaaltervise uuringute keskus, 2025.
[19] ERR. 2025. Naistearstid: laste saamise põhjused on isiklikud ja mitmekesised, 03.06.2025
[20] Kaukonen, E., Lott, K., Marling, R., Murumaa-Mengel, M., Sepper, M.-L., & Tinn, M. (2024). Alfamehed ja lillekesed: misogüünia ja seksismi normaliseerumine Eesti meediapildis. Mõttekoda Praxis.
[21] Põim, M., Sepper, M.-L., & Tinn, M. (2024). Tippjuhiks saamise teed: mehed juhtuvad juhiks, naised juhivad end juhiks. Mõttekoda Praxis.
[22] Tinn, M., Järviste, L., Teidla-Kunitsõn, G. ja Sepper, M-L (2024). Seksuaalvägivalla kohtueelne uurimine. Mõttekoda Praxis.
[23] Ibid.
[24] ERR. 2019. Kampaaniaga toetatakse puudustkannatavaid naisi hügieenitarvetega, 08.03.2019.
[25] K. Võhma. Delfi. 2024. Tallinna munitsipaalkoolides hakatakse jagama tasuta menstruaaltooteid, 09.01.2024.
[26] G. Roosaar. Feministeerium. 2024. Eesti vajab jah-mudelit! President Kaljulaidi Fondi nõusolekuseaduse foorumi ülevaade, 14.10.2024.
[27] Ibid.
[28] Eesti Ekspress. 2025. Pihlakodu pääseb puhtalt. Uurimine näitas, et vägistamine ei teinud dementsetele naistele halba, 09.04.2025.
[29] MTÜ Seksuaalvägivalla Vaba Eesti. Koduleht, veebis 16.11.2025.
[30] Lott, K. Sotsiaalmeedia loob pinnase misogüünia ja meeste ohvritunde levikuks, 29.04.2025.
[31] Ümarik, M., Tinn, M., Idnurm, T., Kaarlõp, H. L., Dibou, T., Mäe, K., … & Põder, K. (2023). Noorte hääl demokraatia kriisis: kodanikuhariduse väljakutsed. IEA 2022. aasta rahvusvahelise kodanikuhariduse uuringu (ICCS 2022) Eesti tulemused.
