The European Parliament is delighted that the EU has joined the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), despite the fact that this accession is limited to areas of shared competency. MEPs made this announcement in an interim report on the convention adopted on Tuesday 12 September.
Christine Revault D’Allonnes Bonnefoy (S&D, France), co-rapporteur on this dossier with Anna Maria Corazza Bildt (EPP, Sweden) explained, “this involves a progressive report that goes very far, particularly on access to education, staff training, abortion and ratification of the convention… This is unprecedented and a major victory of which I am very proud”.
The report is effectively highly committed on the issue of abortion, given that it points out that, “forced pregnancy is defined as a crime against humanity in article 7 of the statute of Rome and International Criminal Court” and is a “form of gender-based violence against women, which constitutes a serous attack on fundamental rights and the dignity of women and girls”.
Another key point: it calls on the Commission to present a legal act in support of member states in their action to prevent and eradicate violence. It is also calling on the Council to adopt a decision defining this kind of violence as one of the criminal domains listed in article 83, paragraph 1 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It also calls on the Commission to propose a recasting of the Council framework decision currently in force on combating certain kinds and displays of racism and xenophobia, by way of criminal law and including within it, sexism, hate crimes and inciting hatred for reasons relating to sexual orientation, gender identity and other sexual characteristics.
It also supports a global strategy on “combating violence against women and gender-based violence” as well as “guidelines” on the application of the Istanbul Convention. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)