Oslo ministerial conference: tackling violence in every day life

Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik said that Europeans must learn from each other to ensure success in attempts to combat violence. " Everyone experiences violence and fear sometime in their lives. The Council of Europe is committed to making people's lives safer, he said.

Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Maud de Boer Buquicchio said the 3 year project on violence, now coming to its conclusion, was a major effort to address the problems in a coherent and structured way. She condemned short-termism and called for policies that were rooted in the democratic values that were Europe's heritage. "Violence begets violence...we need to break the vicious circle," she said.

Speaking for the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, Ambassador Torbjorn Froysnes said that the Council was pursuing a vigorous policy against terrorism and for conflict prevention. The Council had been quick to repsond to the problems of trafficking in human beings by launching work on a new convention which should be ready next year. Norwegian Justice Minister Odd Einar Dorum welcomed the moves to counter trafficking, and pledged to put the fight against the "slave trade of trafficking" to the top of the agenda.

Speech of Maud de Boer-Buquicchio