On 15 March 2024 the Council of Europe project “Aligning laws and policies with the Istanbul Convention” and the AIRE Centre brought together over 120 representatives of key judicial institutions, including courts, prosecutor’s offices, and law enforcement agencies, as well as representatives of relevant local authorities, embassies, international organisations, and civil society.
The Conference had a twofold objective:
- to raise awareness on the importance of the judicial dialogue and its impact in preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence;
- to identify measures and steps to enhance the judicial dialogue.
The event featured keynote addresses: Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner and Robert Spano, former President of the European Court of Human Rights and President of the Board of Patrons of the Gender Champions in the Judiciary Network, that delved into effective strategies for utilising international instruments to address violence against women and femicide on the national level.
Opening remarks were made by Gresa Caka-Nimani, President of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo*, who highlighted that "one of the main characteristics of the Istanbul Convention is the call for comprehensive and coordinated action and response to all forms of violence against women".
Albulena Haxhiu, Minister of Justice and National Coordinator for Protection Against Domestic Violence, Violence against Women and Gender Based Violence of Kosovo*, noted that “the fight against this phenomenon requires the commitment of the entire institutional chain, from the moment a case is reported to the well-deserved punishment for the crime committed. No adequate responding from any of the institutions engaged, impairs the process with causes the lack of confidence of the victim to report and seek justice.”
Tankut Soykan, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe’s Office in Pristina, reminded participants of the Council of Europe report “Assessment of alignment of domestic laws, policies and other measures with the standards of the Istanbul Convention” which followed the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) methodology.
The conference followed by vivid discussions of representatives from relevant stakeholders, in two high-level panel sessions: “Implementing the Istanbul Convention and the empirical findings from case-law analysis in the western Balkans” and “Judicial dialogue to ensure adequate combating of violence against women and domestic violence”.
*All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
