Council of Europe

Stop Violence against Women by Implementing International Standards
A side event at the 56th Session
of the Commission on the Status of Women

New York - Conference Room 4 (NLB) - Monday 27 February 2012, 1.15 - 2.30 pm

Background

Every day women are stalked, harassed, raped, mutilated, forced by their family to enter into a marriage, sterilised against their will or psychologically and physically abused in the “safety” of their own homes. The examples of violence against women are endless, its victims countless. Many women are too afraid or ashamed to seek help, often paying for their silence with their lives. Those that do speak out are not always heard. Domestic violence is another form of violence that is far too common and that affects not only women, but men, children and the elderly as well.

The objective of the round table will be to present the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), look at its complementarity with the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and discuss future action about the signature, ratification and implementation of the Convention.

The Istanbul Convention

Opened for signature in May 2011, the Istanbul Convention is the first legally binding instrument in Europe to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence and in terms of scope it is the most far-reaching international treaty to tackle this serious violation of human rights. It aims at zero tolerance for violence against women and domestic violence and is a major step forward in making Europe and beyond a safer place. Preventing violence, protecting its victims and prosecuting the perpetrators are the cornerstones of the Convention, as is the requirement to co-ordinate any such measures through comprehensive policies. In essence, it is a renewed call for greater equality between women and men, because violence against women is deeply rooted in women's inequality in society and is perpetuated by a culture of tolerance and denial.

The Convention covers victims from any background, regardless of their age, race, religion, social origin, migrant status or sexual orientation and calls for the criminalisation of psychological violence, stalking, sexual harassment, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, forced abortion and forced sterilisation.

To date, the Convention has been signed by the following 18 member states of the Council of Europe : Albania, Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Norway, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Turkey and Ukraine. On 24 November 2011, the Turkish Parliament became the first to ratify it.

Any Council of Europe member or observer state, any other state or the European Union may sign and ratify the Convention. It will enter into force following the ratification by 10 countries, including 8 Council of Europe member states. An independent group of experts (GREVIO) will be set up to monitor implementation of the Convention by States Parties.

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)

UN Women (the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women) is dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was created by the General Assembly in 2010 to accelerate the progress on meeting their rights worldwide. The UN Entity's work is guided by several international agreements such as CEDAW, Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, UN Security Council Resolutions on women, peace and security (1325, 1820,1888,1889 and 1960) and by Millennium Declaration and Millennium Development Goals.

UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality , and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to implement these standards. It stands behind women's equal participation in all aspects of life. UN Women also coordinates and promotes the United Nations system's work in advancing gender equality.