[08/03/07 09:00] In an appeal to the 46 member states on the eve of International Women's Day, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President René van der Linden and Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg stress that domestic violence is one of the most widespread violations of human dignity.
According to a study carried out for the Council of Europe , between a quarter and a fifth of all women in Europe have been subjected to physical violence at least once in their adult lives. More than one out of ten women have suffered sexual violence with the use of force. Most acts of violence are committed by men in their immediate environment, generally partners or former partners.
This violence knows no geographical boundaries and no age limit; it is not confined to any particular culture, group or social class. It is a political and a public problem, which must be addressed in every Council of Europe member state, they say.
Finally, they invite the member states to step up their efforts to implement the programme of the Council of Europe Campaign to Combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence (2006-2008), alert public opinion and pass laws to stop domestic violence against women. In particular, every appropriate legislative, judicial, budgetary and educational measure should be taken, and national plans adopted to put a stop to domestic violence against women. This should include the criminalisation and prosecution of rape carried out within marriage, in the same way as other rape, and the removal of a violent spouse from the couple's home, where such measures do not already exist.