“As our democracies are facing new challenges, women’s rights are increasingly called into question,” said Alain Berset on Monday 24 November, on the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
He reiterated the importance of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention).
This text “sets a high standard, and it is making a real difference”, he said, pointing to “gaps in criminal legislation” that have now been “closed”, “as shown by the consent-based definition of rape, now a feature of many national laws across Europe”.
He also pointed out that ‘The New Democratic Pact for Europe’, which he is promoting as Secretary General of the Council of Europe, “works to strengthen democracy by ensuring real equality” and that to this end, “ending violence against women is vital”.
Link to the statement: https://aeur.eu/f/jma (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)