14/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - It will take time to ratify the Istanbul Convention. On Monday 14 March, Belgium ratified the Council of Europe convention on preventing and tackling violence against women. At present, only thirteen member states have ratified the convention, which opened for signature in May 2011. Twelve have actually signed it. The convention is the first binding international instrument for the prevention of domestic violence and violence against women, for the protection of victims and condemnation of the perpetrators. It defines and gives penalties for various forms of violence against women, including domestic violence and forced marriage. The European Parliament has already adopted many resolutions calling for rapid ratification of the convention by all member states, and on 4 March 2016, the European Commission proposed that the EU as a whole should join the convention alongside the member states within the limit of its powers. (SPj)