In a Joint Declaration on the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day, to be celebrated on 8 March, Marija Pejčinović Burić – Secretary General of the Council of Europe – and Franziska Giffey – German Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth – recalled the importance of the Istanbul Convention in the fight against violence against women.
Opened for signature in 2011, this Council of Europe Convention will be 10 years old next May. It has been ratified by 34 of the organisation’s 47 Member States. “Twelve more have signed it and, given the added value provided by this legally binding and innovative instrument, we strongly encourage them to ratify it”, emphasise Marija Pejčinović Burić and Franziska Giffey, who hope for ratification by all Member States within 10 years.
Associated with a monitoring mechanism led by a dedicated group (GREVIO), the Istanbul Convention “has enabled the Council of Europe to take the lead in keeping women and girls free from violence”, they add, detailing the concrete measures and legal developments brought about by this text.
However, “significant challenges” have emerged: on the one hand, the restrictions linked to Covid-19, which have led to “record increases in domestic abuse” and, on the other hand, the “misleading claims” of the Convention by certain political groups, which present it as an attack on the traditional family structure when its sole purpose is to combat violence and abuse.
Link to the Declaration: https://bit.ly/3sVDE4r (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)