NEW COUNCIL OF EUROPE NEW COUNCIL OF EUROPE STANDARDS FOR STANDARDS FOR

PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY AND PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY AND

PREVENTING AND COMBATING PREVENTING AND COMBATING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN :VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN :PREMISES FOR CO-OPERATION PREMISES FOR CO-OPERATION

Raluca Popa Equality Division Directorate General of Democracy Council of Europe

• Four major treaties are the foundation of the work to protect the human rights and dignity of women in the 47 member states of the Council of Europe:

• the European Convention on Human Rights • the European Social Charter • the Convention on Action against Trafficking

in Human Beings • and, the newest, the Convention on

Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence

THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

• Five key objectives: • Combating gender stereotypes and sexism • Preventing and combating violence against

women • Guaranteeing equal access of women to

justice• Achieving balanced participation of women

and men in political and public decision-making

• Achieving gender mainstreaming in all policies and measures

THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE GENDER EQUALITY STRATEGY (2014-2017)

• The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence opened for signature in May 2011, in Istanbul

• Entered into force: 1st of August 2014• Currently ratified by 15 member states of the Council of

Europe • Some basics:

• The international community’s most comprehensive and detailed response to violence against women

• Incorporates global norms, such as: 1992 General Recommendation 19 of the CEDAW and 1993 UN Declaration on the Elimination of VAW

• Best on based practice and state of the art knowledge

ISTANBUL CONVENTION

SOME FEATURES OF THE ISTANBUL SOME FEATURES OF THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION LINKED TO SAFEGUARDING CONVENTION LINKED TO SAFEGUARDING

WOMEN‘S ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL WOMEN‘S ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS RIGHTS

Extensive anti-discrimination clause on implementation includes ‘social origin’ and ‘property’ among impermissible grounds (Article 4, paragraph 3)

Definition of domestic violence includes economic violence (Article 3, paragraph b)

Culture, custom, religion, tradition and so-called honour cannot be used as justifications for violence against women (Article 12, paragraph 5)

SOME FEATURES OF THE ISTANBUL SOME FEATURES OF THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION LINKED TO SAFEGUARDING CONVENTION LINKED TO SAFEGUARDING

WOMEN‘S ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL WOMEN‘S ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS RIGHTS

Right to free legal aid for victims (Article 57)

Support services for victims of gender-based violence, such as shelters, telephone helplines available 24 hours, and rape crisis centres or sexual violence referral centres

Due diligence standard is defined as the obligation of states to “prevent, investigate, punish and provide reparation for acts of violence perpetrated by non-state actors” (Article 5)

SIGN, RATIFY AND IMPLEMENT THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION!

CONTACT

INFORMATION

Equality Division Directorate of Democracy Strasbourg F-67075

E-mail: gender.equality@coe.int; conventionviolence@coe.int Fax: +33 (0) 3 88 41 27 64   www.coe.int/equality www.coe.int/conventionviolence