Women’s, LGBTIQ and minority rights in a context of autocracy, conflict and geopolitical shifts

Expected outcome

Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Policymakers, public administrations, human rights organisations, and civil society actors have strengthened mechanisms to protect groups in a vulnerable situation (such as women, LGBTIQ people, persons with disabilities and minorities) in contexts of autocracy, conflict, and geopolitical instability.
• Researchers and data collection bodies benefit from robust methodologies to systematically document and analyse the impact of democratic backsliding, conflict, and geopolitical shifts on the rights of these specific groups in a vulnerable situation.
• Civil society organisations and grassroots movements have enhanced their resilience and advocacy strategies, thanks to the identification of best practices and innovative approaches to counter repression, expand civic space, and promote inclusive governance, including in authoritarian or conflict settings.

Scope

Autocratic regimes, armed conflicts, and global geopolitical shifts pose significant threats to fundamental rights. These challenges manifest in the rollback of legal protections, increased political violence, shrinking civic space, and targeted discrimination, both offline and online. In this context, a deeper understanding of the disproportionate impact of these crises on different groups is key to developing more targeted and effective policies.

The proposed research should examine the intersection of age, gender, sex, sexual orientation, minority status, or migratory background, in contexts of democratic erosion, authoritarian governance, and geopolitical crises. It can focus on one or multiple groups in a vulnerable situation, such as women, LGBTIQ people, ethnic and/or religious minorities, people with disabilities, children or the elderly. Case studies could be selected to reflect a wide range of geopolitical contexts, including regions undergoing democratic erosion, post-conflict reconstruction, or consolidation of authoritarian rule.

The proposed research should analyse how legal and institutional frameworks are weaponised and leveraged by authoritarian actors to restrict rights, the role of civil society in resisting repression, and the impact of digital surveillance, algorithmic discrimination and online disinformation in targeting specific groups in a vulnerable situation.

Particular attention should be given to the restricted access to sexual and reproductive health rights during crises, armed conflicts, and geopolitical shifts, as well as the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV). In such contexts, GBV can be frequently used as a coercive tactic, reinforcing discrimination and reversing progress on gender equality. Hate-motivated violence can become even more complex when directed at women and groups in a vulnerable situation, further limiting their access to humanitarian assistance and undermining their fundamental rights. Therefore, the proposed research should develop prevention and response strategies for public administration, law enforcement, and military bodies to combat GBV effectively in crisis situations.

Proposals should take an interdisciplinary approach, combining SSH disciplines with insights from computer science and data analytics. They should integrate a strong data-driven approach and could explore aspects such as:

• Mapping and measuring the compounded effects of conflict, forced displacement, and democratic backsliding on access to rights, services, and political participation.
• Developing new methodologies and indicators to assess the impact of shrinking civic space and legal rollbacks on gender and minority rights.
• Creating data-driven tools or policy dashboards to monitor the evolving risks faced by women, LGBTIQ people, and/or various minority groups in authoritarian and post-conflict settings.

Proposals should adopt a multi-scalar approach that connects grassroots-level experiences of discrimination and exclusion with macro-level geopolitical, legal and policy frameworks. Proposals could assess how international and European actors can effectively counter these trends through diplomatic efforts, development cooperation, and targeted support for civil society. Engaging with policymakers, human rights organisations, and affected communities is essential.

Proposals are encouraged to identify other relevant EU-funded projects, notably in cluster 2 and 3, and to explore potential collaboration opportunities with them. In order to achieve the topic’s expected outcomes, international cooperation is encouraged.

Where applicable, proposals should leverage the data and services available through European Research Infrastructures federated under the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), as well as data from relevant Data Spaces. Particular efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of this topic is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).