As delivered by Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Dear friends,

It is a pleasure to take part today.

And I begin by thanking my fellow panelists and the organisations that they represent.

WAVE does fantastic work collecting and disseminating data on violence against women and children;

And providing help and advocacy for those in need.

I also want to mention in particular today, the Portuguese Platform for Women’s rights. It excels in the training, lobbying and awareness-raising that it provides, and which are central to empowering and mobilising NGOs and the women those rights they champion.

And Human Rights Watch has long been a staunch advocate for ratifying and implementing the Istanbul Convention:

Recognising it as key to tackling violence against women and domestic violence across Europe.

The work done by you and other groups brings you face to face with the terrible reality of what so many women suffer.

And the experience and insight that you pass on are vital for shaping the views and responses of governments and international organisations alike.

I know that members of the Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence can attest to that.

We owe you a great deal.

Certainly, your solidarity counts now more than ever.

The 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention has brought mixed emotions.

On the positive side, this treaty has come a long way over the course of a decade.

Let me start with the conclusion: the Istanbul Convention saves lives!

It is the gold standard in its field, 34 countries have now joined it, and we welcome the very recent ratification by Lichtenstein. This is an important political signal to all of us.

The Istanbul Convention’s impact on European justice is there to see.

In government efforts to define and criminalise specific acts;

In the added support that many authorities now provide for women in danger;

And in the changes to the way in which criminal justice systems deal with these crimes where they occur.

Preventing violence, protecting victims, and prosecuting the perpetrators:

As a matter of fact, that’s all that the Istanbul Treaty has ever been about.

And the added value of an international, legal treaty is clear.

Helping raise the standard of national provisions;

Providing the independent monitoring and support that helps national authorities to overcome hurdles;

And ensuring the cross-border co-operation between legal systems that allows the effective prosecution of international cases.

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Last month, our monitoring body, GREVIO,  published a very interesting review of the 17 country evaluations it has carried out since the convention entered into force.

These reports analyse states parties’ level of compliance and record many positive examples.

They also provide guidance to the authorities on where to concentrate efforts and what might be done to best ensure that women and girls live a life free from violence.

And all of this comes with being part of the Convention.

Despite this progress and support, we have to face the fact that the Istanbul Treaty is being challenged in parts of Europe today.

The rise of extreme populism and nationalism have fueled a backlash against women’s rights.

And misunderstandings and false narratives are being used to undermine support for the treaty.

In the case of one government, they have been used as justification for leaving it.

Meanwhile, the impact of COVID-19 has laid bare how easy it is for abuse to surge.

Women who have been trapped at home with abusers during lockdown periods have often paid a heavy price.

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The Secretary General’s Strategic Framework for the Council of Europe gives us a very important long-term perspective for our work, and it was adopted at our Hamburg Ministerial Session in June.

Among its priorities for the next four years is the protection of women:

And the Istanbul Convention is at the heart of that effort.

Now we must work for further ratifications and for the full implementation of the treaty in those countries that have joined it. We must redouble our efforts.

This is vitally important, and I am sure our monitoring body, GREVIO, will continue to support national authorities in achieving it.

But to succeed, we must work together. Join forces:

Institutions, governments – and individuals too.

Article 12 of the Istanbul Convention states that Parties should take measures to encourage all members of society, especially men and boys, to contribute actively to preventing all forms of violence covered by the scope of the Convention.

This is very important, and something to which I am personally committed.

I am very grateful to the Parliamentary Assembly and you as individual MPs – for promoting the Istanbul Convention – and helping many more to understand its importance.

And I return to where I began at the start of this speech and say to my fellow panelists that we need you.

Your work uncovers the facts;

It provides support for those who suffer;

And it helps create the conditions in which change becomes possible.

So, please stay close to us, and let us join forces.

Thank you.