Interviewed by EUROPE on Tuesday 21 November, just a few days before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, celebrated on 25 November, Carolina Lasén Diaz, Executive Secretary of the Istanbul Convention, takes stock of the progress made, but also of the threats to what is the world’s most comprehensive legal and binding framework for the prevention and protection of victims and the prosecution of perpetrators. The Istanbul Convention entered into force in 2014 and now has 38 States Parties. Its implementation is overseen by a committee of 15 independent experts, GREVIO. (Interview by Véronique Leblanc)
Agence Europe: Is the wave of conservatism sweeping Europe having an impact on the Istanbul Convention?
Carolina Lasén Diaz: This wave is a fact and all the more a threat because the text is the subject of a disinformation campaign, which accuses it of attacking “the traditional family”, because the notion of “gender” is mentioned.
It’s true that this is the case in Article 4, devoted to the list of grounds for discrimination, but that’s because the Convention is intended to protect all women, whether they are migrants, disabled, lesbians, transsexuals, etc. It’s not about promoting marriage for all. It is in no way intended to promote marriage for all.
It’s violence that destroys families.
AE: Has Turkey’s withdrawal in 2021 “weighed down” the Convention?
It was indeed a blow, but we should point out that real progress has been made, with three new states ratifying in 2022: the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Moldova.
Moldova was the subject of a recent GREVIO report, which praised the authorities for their work with women fleeing the war in Ukraine, despite the fact that this country has few resources at its disposal and faces enormous national needs. Moldova has sent us a strong message about preventing violence against women.
AE: And what about Ukraine?
A questionnaire was sent to the authorities, who replied, but GREVIO’s visit is conditional on a minimum level of security being guaranteed in a country at war.
AE: The European Union ratified the Convention last June, with the backing of its Court of Justice and despite opposition from certain Member States. Why is this important?
This is a very strong message of political support, which gives us hope that the 6 Member States of both the European Union and the Council of Europe that have not yet done so [Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech and Slovak Republics, editor’s note] will ratify.
From now on, in any case, all European Union legislation must be in line with the Istanbul Convention and embody its values.
That’s a big step forward.
AE: Are other ratifications in the pipeline?
Open to non-EU countries, the Istanbul Convention is not just a European Convention; its purpose is to protect all women, i.e. half the world’s population.
We are eagerly awaiting the outcome of discussions with Mexico, a Council of Europe observer country, whose permanent ambassador to our organisation is due to meet the Committee of Ministers in December.
Ratification is possible in the coming months.
AE: In 2024, the Istanbul Convention will be ten years old. What are its objectives for the coming years?
Following a first round of evaluation in all States Parties except Ukraine and the United Kingdom, GREVIO has launched a second round in 2023, which will focus on the need to increase victims’ confidence in the system designed to protect them.
However, we note that there is still a great deal of impunity.
In order to reverse this trend, it will be necessary to set up a large-scale collection of data broken down according to gender, age, the victim’s relationship with the aggressor, etc. It will also be necessary to trace each complaint and each procedure, which represents a challenge in several countries.
Another difficult issue is the question of child custody in a context of domestic violence.
The courts must take this aspect into account, but it is not always self-evident.
It will be important to provide training for professionals in contact with women who are victims of violence, including the police, judges, prosecutors, lawyers, social workers and health professionals.
Without this training, the application of laws and policies will never be optimal and the rights of victims will not be guaranteed.
AE: In addition to working with the authorities during GREVIO visits, how do you work with the States Parties to the Istanbul Convention?
They meet regularly as a Committee of the Parties to discuss the GREVIO reports in an inter pares format that puts no one on the spot.
Their aim is to move forward in protecting women against violence.
The next Committee meeting will take place at the beginning of December and will focus on the issue of feminicide.