A delegation of the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) will carry out a monitoring visit to Monaco from 5 to 7 December 2016. The organisation of this visit follows GREVIO’s review of Monaco’s state report on 8 November. It is one of the steps in the procedure to monitor the implementation of the Istanbul Convention.

The Istanbul Convention, also known as Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, is based on the understanding that states must fully address gender-based violence in all its forms – and take measures to prevent such violence, protect the victims and prosecute the perpetrators.

GREVIO members who will visit Monaco, Françoise Brié and Gemma Gallego, will be assisted by Christiane Roelants, head of a police department in Brussels (Belgium), and supported by two members of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe Secretariat.

Meetings are organised with high-ranking officials and professionals from various fields, including social care, health, police and judicial services. On this occasion, the delegation will visit places where women and girl victims can be protected and supported. Meetings will also take place with representatives of the Monegasque parliament, the national human rights institution and NGOs active in areas of concern to GREVIO.

The information gathered by the delegation during the visit is confidential. GREVIO plans to publish its evaluation report on Monaco in mid-2017.