Co-operation Newsroom

Police officers of Armenia enhance their knowledge on combating violence against women and domestic violence
50 police officers from the specialised division of the police of Armenia enhanced their knowledge on combating violence against women and domestic violence during two training sessions held on 12-13 May and 19-20 May 2022 in Yerevan. The trainings aimed at improving the capacity of the police to...
First multi-stakeholder meeting in Turkey to discuss how to improve women’s access to legal aid and assistance
The European Union and the Council of Europe’s joint action on “Fostering women’s access to justice in Turkey” held the first of a series of multi-stakeholder meetings in the province of Ordu, in Turkey on 18 May 2022, to raise awareness of barriers to women’s access to justice and facilitate...
Roundtable in Pristina on violence against women in the digital dimension: “Recognising and combating the phenomenon”
The Embassy of Italy in Pristina and the Council of Europe office in Pristina, under the project “Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo* (phase III)", marked the 11th anniversary of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating...
Four civil society organisations awarded grants to increase women’s legal awareness in Turkey
Within the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022” and its action “Fostering women’s access to justice in Turkey”, the Council of Europe selected four proposals from well-established and experienced...
European countries meet to discuss methods to address the Digital Dimension of Violence against Women
The rapid evolution of information and communication technologies facilitates the creation of new forms of violence against women and girls, such as non-consensual photos or videos, exploitation, sexualised bullying, cyber flashing, technology-facilitated stalking, online psychological violence...
The Istanbul Convention enters into force in the Republic of Moldova
On 1 May 2022, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention, entered into force in the Republic of Moldova. This follows the ratification by the Moldova Parliament on 14 October 2021 thus Republic of...
Launch of a new project in the Republic of Moldova to support the implementation of the Istanbul Convention
On 13 April 2022, the project “Supporting the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Republic of Moldova” was officially launched online. The project is being implemented under the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova for 2021-2024 and its partners are the...
What can be done now to protect displaced women and girls from abuse, violence and exploitation?
Given the fastest-growing refugee flow in Europe since World War II with over four million Ukrainians fleeing, how can refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking women and girls be protected from abuse, violence and exploitation when crossing borders? In her address to the EEA/Norway Grants’ SYNERGY...
Increasing legal aid lawyers’ awareness on women’s access to justice in Turkey
An online kick-off event to launch the tutored online HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) course on “Access to Justice for Women” was organised for legal professionals in Turkey on 29 March 2022. 250 legal aid lawyers from four Bar Associations (Ordu, Nevsehir, Diyarbakır and...
Social workers of domestic violence victims support centres equipped with knowledge and skills to support victims of domestic violence in Armenia
From 23 to 25 March social workers of 12 newly established domestic violence victims and survivors support centres of Armenia were trained on preventing and combating domestic violence and providing support to victims of domestic violence. Participants of the training gained knowledge on...
Conference on ending violence against women: Time for action - held in Tbilisi
The Embassy of Italy in Tbilisi and the Council of Europe office in Georgia in cooperation with the Government of Georgia organised a conference aimed at raising awareness and fostering action to end violence against women and girls. The conference was organised in the context of the on-going...
Promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment via micro grants projects in Armenia
In May-December 2021, with Council of Europe support, small grant projects were successfully implemented in three regions of Armenia by the following NGOs: Armavir Development Centre, SOSE Women's NGO and Martuni Women’s Community Council. The small grant projects aimed at raising awareness of...
Training manual for the Police Educational Complex of Armenia
A training manual for police officers on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence was developed for the Police Educational Complex of Armenia within the framework of the Council of Europe project “The path towards Armenia’s ratification of the Council of Europe...
Staff of the Compulsory Enforcement Service of Armenia is trained on preventing domestic violence
Staff members of the Compulsory Enforcement Service participated in a two-day interactive training on the prevention of domestic violence. The participants learned how to identify domestic violence, discussed existing myths, and psychological trauma of the survivors of domestic violence and their...
EXTENDED DEADLINE - Call for tender for the provision of intellectual services in the areas of violence against women, domestic violence and gender equality in the Republic of Moldova
The Council of Europe is launching a call for the purchase of intellectual services in the areas of violence against women, domestic violence and gender equality in the Republic of Moldova within the framework of the project “Supporting the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the...
Providing legal aid for women in Turkey: signing of a grant agreement with the Union of Turkish Bar Associations
A grant agreement that will strengthen access to legal aid for women in Turkey was signed between the Council of Europe and the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (UTBA). The ceremony was held on 8 March 2022 to mark the celebration of the International Women’s Day. Signed within the framework of...
The brochure on preventing and combating sexism is now available in Azerbaijani
On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, a new brochure on the Committee of Ministers Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)1 on preventing and combating sexism is available now in Azerbaijani. This brochure explains the recommendation and its aims, defines sexism, whilst showcasing its...
Webinars on the Istanbul Convention in Azerbaijan: what does it really say?
In 2021, the project “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” delivered a series of webinars dedicated to specific articles of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known...
Myths and facts about the Istanbul Convention: new explanatory video in English and Azerbaijani
Many misconceptions exist on what the Istanbul Convention requires from states and what it means in practice for citizens. Have a look at this short video and find out what the Istanbul Convention really says. On 11 May 2021, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening for signature of the...
Ensuring gender equality through the practice of judges, prosecutors and investigators in Armenia
On 18-19 February judges, prosecutors and investigators of Armenia participated in a two-day interactive training of trainers on ensuring gender equality in Armenia. The training was based on the training course “Ensuring gender equality through the practice of judges, prosecutors and...
New tutors to run the Council of Europe HELP courses on women’s human rights in Turkey
Two half-days of HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals Programme) online Training-of-Trainers (ToT) sessions took place on 14 and 15 February for 30 participants from Turkish universities, bar associations and NGOs. The training was organised within the joint European Union and...
The HELP online course on access to justice for women is now available in French
The European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP), supports member states to enhance their capacities to apply European fundamental rights standards effectively and coherently at the national level though trainings. With this new translation in French, the HELP...
Council of Europe’s expert delegation visits Kosovo* to assess the alignment of its measures on violence against women with the Istanbul Convention
In the framework of the cooperation project “Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence- Phase III”, a Council of Europe’s independent expert delegation carried out a visit to Kosovo* from 21 to 25 February 2022. This visit to Pristina and Gjakova was a key step in...
Project in Turkey held its first meeting with project partners
On 31 January 2022, the first Steering Committee Meeting of the European Union/Council of Europe joint project “Fostering Women’s Access to Justice in Turkey” was held in Ankara, Turkey, in a hybrid meeting format. Representatives of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, the Ministry of Foreign...
The first Newsletter of this year has just been issued!
This newsletter covers our activities relating to the objectives of the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy for the period October 2021 to January 2022. Newsletter No 5 Subscribe to our newsletter
New Council of Europe HELP online course on Violence Against Women for Law Enforcement Professionals
Law enforcement plays a central role in addressing violence against women and domestic violence and in preventing its re-occurrence. Responses need to be efficient and tailored, within the legal framework, to the needs of victims and the risk of perpetrators. In responding to violence against...
Call for proposals - NGO grants on supporting women’s access to justice in Turkey
Within the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022” and its action “Fostering women’s access to justice in Turkey”, the Council of Europe is launching a call for grants, open to applications of...
New project to support the Moldovan authorities
The project “Supporting the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Republic of Moldova” started in January 2022 and will run until December 2023, as part of the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova for 2021-2024. The project will act as a...
Webinar on emergency barring orders in Azerbaijan
On 21 December 2021, the last of series of webinars on specific articles of the Istanbul Convention took place in Azerbaijan. The aim of these webinars is to explain the content of the Convention in order to promote discussion on the potential accession of Azerbaijan to this international treaty....
Workshop on gender stereotypes and violence against women in a village school in Azerbaijan
On 3 December 2021, the Council of Europe in co-operation with the State Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs organised a workshop on gender stereotypes and violence against women in Gokhmukh village school in Azerbaijan. Participants were informed about the impact of harmful gender...
Regional workshops in Azerbaijan on gender stereotypes and violence against women
From 29 November to 2 December 2021, four workshops took place in the Azerbaijani regions of Gabala, Zagatala and Shaki, in the context of the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence. The workshops were organised in co-operation with the State Committee on Family, Women and Children...
Call for national experts on women’s participation in public and political decision-making for the project in the Russian Federation
The project “Co-operation for the implementation of the Russian Federation National Action Strategy for Women 2017-2022: applying best practices” is launching a call for national experts on women’s participation in public and political life at various levels in order to support the implementation...
Armenian journalists improve their reporting of violence against women and domestic violence
Within the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, a two-day online training seminar for journalists representing different TV channels, online and print media of Armenia was organised. This was the third training organised for media representatives of Armenia to enhance their...
Recommendations on the digital dimension of violence against women translated into Ukrainian
The Council of Europe Expert Group on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) published its General Recommendation No.1 on the digital dimension of violence against women on 24 November 2021. In monitoring the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, GREVIO has...
Ukraine launches campaign for 16-days of Activism against Gender-based violence
On November 25, 2021, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, Steen Nørlov took part in a briefing marking the occasion of the Annual All-Ukrainian Campaign ”16-days of Activism against violence”. Mr Nørlov noted that the Council of Europe has a strong history of supporting the...
Call for international experts on journalism for the project in the Russian Federation
The project “Co-operation for the implementation of the Russian Federation National Action Strategy for Women 2017-2022: applying best practices” is launching a call for international experts on journalism/media coverage and awareness-raising in order to support the implementation of the project...
GREVIO publishes its General Recommendation No.1 on the digital dimension of violence against women
The Council of Europe Expert Group on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) has just published its General Recommendation No.1 on the digital dimension of violence against women. In monitoring the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, GREVIO has identified that...
Victims’ safety goes first: Armenian Police strengthens response to violence against women and domestic violence
Police officers of Armenia participated in a two-day interactive training on how to address and respond to violence against women and domestic violence. The participants learned about what is gender-based violence and how it affects women disproportionately, the national obligations from...
Study Visit for Azerbaijani state authorities to Georgia on violence against women
From 15 to 17 November 2021, a delegation of representatives from the Azerbaijani state authorities visited Georgia to hear about promising practices in the field of violence against women and domestic violence, as well as the Georgian experience of implementing the Council of Europe Convention...
Call for tenders for the provision of online/hybrid events technical services in the Russian Federation
The Council of Europe project “Co-operation for the implementation of the Russian Federation National Action Strategy for Women 2017-2022: applying best practices” is launching a call for tenders for the provision of online technical services (management of online/hybrid events and multimedia and...
Call for local intellectual services in the area of violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo*
The Council of Europe project “Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo* (phase III)" is launching a call for the provision of national consultancy services in the area of violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo*. The selected consultants...
Call for visibility, communication, public relations, photographic and videography services in the Russian Federation
The Council of Europe is launching this call in the framework of the project “Co-operation for the implementation of the Russian Federation National Action Strategy for Women 2017-2022: applying best practices”. Interested candidates are invited to apply as described in the Tender File under the...
Call for tenders for local consultancy services in the areas of women’s access to justice, women’s human rights and gender equality in Turkey
Within the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022" and its action “Fostering women’s access to justice in Turkey”, the Council of Europe Programme Office in Ankara initiates a call, a competitive...
Growing number of Georgian public servants trained on violence against women and domestic violence
A group of 17 police officers and staff members of the Human Rights Protection and Quality Monitoring Department of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs received their certificates of completion of the HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) course on violence against women and...
Practical Guide for police officers on effective response to violence against women and domestic violence in Ukraine
The publication “Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence: A Practical Guide for Police officers”, produced by the Council of Europe in co-operation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and National Police of Ukraine, updates a 2017 manual in response to important developments in...
Study visit to the Council of Europe for Bulgarian working group on violence against women
A working group from Bulgaria developing a case-management guide for Bulgarian magistrates joined women's rights specialists and professionals from the Council of Europe for an online study visit on 21 October 2021. Members of the working group participated in engaged discussions with Council of...
First meeting of partners of the Council of Europe project in Kosovo* (Phase III)
On 26 October 2021, the first Steering Committee meeting of the project “Reinforcing the Fight against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in Kosovo*- Phase III”, took place in Pristina. The project started 1 July 2021 and will run until 28 February 2023. The opening remarks were...
Call for national consultancy services on women’s political participation and violence against women and domestic violence in the Russian Federation
The Council of Europe project “Co-operation for the implementation of the Russian Federation National Action Strategy for Women 2017-2022: applying best practices” is launching a call for the provision of national consultancy services in the areas of participation of women in political life and...
Newsletter No 4 of this year has just been issued!
This newsletter covers our activities relating to the following objectives of the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy for the period August to October 2021: Prevent and combat gender stereotypes and sexism Prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence Ensuring the equal...
Azerbaijani judge candidates trained on the main standards in the field of violence against women and domestic violence
On 19 October 2021, a group of 40 judge candidates from Azerbaijan were trained on the main standards in the field of violence against women and domestic violence, including the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul...
Improved reporting of violence against women and domestic violence cases by Armenian journalists
Journalists representing different regional TV channels, online and print media of Armenia discussed the principles of media reporting on the topics of violence against women and domestic violence in a three-day online training seminar. The seminar addressed how media can help raise awareness...
Beyond domestic violence: how will the ratification of the Istanbul Convention prevent and combat violence against women in Ukraine?
On 12 October, 2021 La Strada Ukraine held the online round table, "The Istanbul Convention is not just about domestic violence: how will the ratification of the Istanbul Convention strengthen the prevention and counteraction of various types of gender-based violence in Ukraine?" The roundtable...
Explaining the articles of the Istanbul Convention in Azerbaijan
On 12 October 2021, the action “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” delivered the third of a series of webinars dedicated to explaining specific articles of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against...
Launch of a new project on women’s access to justice in Turkey
On 1 October 2021, the Council of Europe Gender Equality Division in co-operation with the Council of Europe Office in Ankara began implementing the new action “Fostering women’s access to justice in Turkey” under the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for...
New Council of Europe and European Union joint project in the Russian Federation
A new Council of Europe and European Union joint project “Cooperation for the implementation of the Russian Federation National Action Strategy for Women 2017-2022: applying best practices” started on 18 September. It builds on the lessons learned of the project “Co-operation in the...
Manual for Georgian investigators, prosecutors and judges on cases of sexual violence crimes
Presented online on 22 September 2021, the manual was developed with the support of the Council of Europe's Georgia Office, UN Women and the international organization Equality Now, as well as the Prosecutor Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs, international and local experts, including...
Second communication workshop “Building engagement: #IstanbulConventionSavesLives”
On 28 September, the second communication workshop “Building Engagement: #IstanbulConventionSavesLives” targeting NGOs in Latvia took place online. The Council of Europe, UN Women and WAVE Network brought together communication specialists, journalists and NGO activists to exchange practices on...
Taking stock of the project “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan”
The Board of the project on “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” met online on 20 September. During the meeting, the project management informed Board members and observers about the progress of the project, the results achieved to date...
International conference on Women’s Access to Justice
Do you know how access to justice is linked to combating violence against women? Do you want to know how legal professionals can be everyday human rights heroes? Then, join us for the international conference on Women’s Access to Justice: Moving closer to full ratification and implementation of...
Podcasts on domestic violence and violence against women in Armenia
What are the main challenges for survivors of violence against women and domestic violence when they want to break free from violence? What are the State’s obligations to combat domestic violence? What are the consequences of domestic violence on national economies? Armenian experts Lusine...
Factsheets on case law of the ECHR on violence against women, domestic violence and gender equality in Azerbaijani
Under the European Union and Council of Europe’s joint action “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan”, the latest versions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) factsheets on violence against women, domestic violence, and gender...
The Council of Europe supports professionals in 7 countries to increase access to justice for women
Eleven members of the SYNERGY Network against Gender-based and Domestic violence have successfully completed a 6-module training course on Access to Justice for Women in August 2021. The course was provided by the Council of Europe in order to support EEA/Norway Grants' efforts to combat violence...
Ukrainian NGOs supported to raise awareness on the Istanbul Convention
Two Ukrainian civil society organisations have been awarded grants to raise awareness the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). With support from the Council of Europe, La Strada Ukraine will raise awareness...
Call for proposals for project applications from the programme domestic and gender-based violence in Slovakia
An open call for proposals within the EEA/Norway Grants “Domestic and Gender-based Violence programme” in Slovakia was launched in August, in order to improve the quality of services provided by shelters and counselling centres not currently meeting European standards on violence against women...
New video: “How will the Istanbul Convention help to stop violence against women in Ukraine?”
The new video about the Istanbul Convention in Ukraine outlines the history of Ukraine’s signature of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), explains its four pillars and describes the positive changes which...
Documentary on the impact of the Istanbul Convention now available in Ukrainian
A special documentary on the impact of the Istanbul Convention is now available in Ukrainian. The documentary analyses the on-the-ground impact of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). It provides...
New report: How can governments guarantee women’s access to justice?
A new report of the online Roundtable on “Framework to measure access to justice including specific challenges facing women” is now available. The report discusses the concept of access to justice in accordance with international and Council of Europe’s human rights standards; it analyses the...
Newsletter No 3 of this year has just been issued!
This newsletter covers our activities relating to the following objectives of the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy for the period April to July 2021: Prevent and combat gender stereotypes and sexism Prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence Ensuring the equal...
Project ends in the Republic of Moldova with many awareness raising materials produced on the Istanbul Convention
The Council of Europe project “Awareness-raising activities on the Istanbul Convention in the Republic of Moldova (2020-2021)” ended on 30 June with a wealth of materials produced to increase local understanding about the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against...
Open Call for Slovakian organisations to combat Domestic and Gender-based Violence
An open call for proposals within the EEA/Norway Grants “Domestic and Gender-based Violence programme” was launched on 6th July 2021 for Slovak entities, in order to develop a partnership and develop a project application together with Norwegian organisations in the area of domestic and gender...
New phase of the project on fighting against violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo*
From 1st July, 2021 the Council of Europe has started implementing the phase III of the project ‘’Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence’’. The project builds on the results of the previous projects "Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and...
Communication workshop “Building engagement: #IstanbulConventionSavesLives”
On 25 June, the Council of Europe, UN Women and WAVE Network brought together communication specialists, journalists and NGO activists to exchange practices on impactful communication on gender equality and human rights. Participants shared their experience and concrete techniques and ideas on...
Georgian inspectors trained as trainers on sexual violence cases
Ten representatives of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs successfully passed a 4-day training on sexual violence cases. “This training of trainers is an important step for continuous training of inspectors, in order to harmonise the administration of justice on sexual violence cases with...
Over 2 300 stakeholders involved in the project on violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo* ending in June 2021
On 28 June 2021 the project’s “Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo*- phase II, final Steering Committee meeting took place. The results and impact of the project were discussed among the key project partners: National Coordinator on Domestic...
Training of Trainers on violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo*
On 15-16 June 2021, under the project "Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence - phase II", the Council of Europe in co-operation with the Justice Academy of Kosovo organised a two day Training of Trainers on violence against women and domestic violence, that...
Training law professors in Azerbaijan to become trainers on violence against women
On 16-17 June 2021, the Council of Europe action “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” delivered a Human rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Training of Trainers (ToT) for law professors at the Faculty of Law at Baku State...
New publication available in Azerbaijani on Article 13 of the Istanbul Convention
The Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention, is the most comprehensive international legal standard to end violence against women and domestic violence. It starts from the point that violence...
Launching Awareness Raising Guidelines on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in Kosovo*
On 10 of June 2021, the Council of Europe in co-operation with the National Coordinator on Domestic Violence and the Agency for Gender Equality launched the newly developed Awareness Raising Guidelines on Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. Keynote speeches where offered by Frank Power,...
Launch of the HELP course on Access to Justice for Women in the Eastern Partnership countries
During the livestreamed event on 8 June 2021, legal training institutes for judges and prosecutors from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine came together with legal practitioners, NGOs and international organisations for the regional launch of the Council of Europe...
What the articles of the Istanbul Convention say: second webinar
On 8 June 2021, the action “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” delivered the second of a series of webinars dedicated to explaining specific articles of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women...
Methodology for twinning initiatives in the field of violence against women, domestic violence and gender equality piloted in Azerbaijan
On 31 May 2021, Azerbaijani stakeholders participated in the online piloting of a twinning methodology in the field of violence against women, domestic violence and gender equality, based on the standards of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and...
The HELP course on violence against women and domestic violence is now available in French
The European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP), supports member states to enhance their capacities to effectively and coherently apply European fundamental rights standards at the national level and though cross-border training. This e-learning course primarily...
The Council of Europe Istanbul Convention also protects children from violence
In honour of International Children’s Day, the Council of Europe presented the topic, "The Istanbul Convention: also protecting children from violence", at the international roundtable in Lithuania, "How to Protect a Child: on preventing domestic violence against children" on 1 June 2021. The...
Launching Quality Guidelines for Shelters for Victims of Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in Kosovo*
On 27 of May 2021, the Council of Europe in co-operation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Division of Family and Social Services launched a set of Quality Guidelines for Shelters for victims of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence. Keynote speeches were offered by Frank...
The crucial role of risk assessment in protecting victims in cases of violence against women and domestic violence in Turkey
A new report, titled “Assessing and managing risks in cases of violence against women and domestic violence: Strengthening risk assessments, the risk-management system and inter-agency co-ordination in Turkey”, has been published. It analyses regulatory framework and practices related to risk...
HELP online course on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence graduation ceremony for Law Students in Kosovo*
On 25 May, the project "Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo* - phase II", in co-operation with the Justice Academy of Kosovo, organised the online graduation ceremony for 21 law students from the Law Faculty of University of Pristina for the HELP...
What’s next? – Steering Committee meeting of the regional PGGII project “Women’s Access to Justice”
On 27 May 2021, the Council of Europe organised the third Project Steering Committee of the EU and CoE joint programme PGGII regional project: “Women access to justice: delivering on the Istanbul Convention and other European gender equality standards”. The meeting gathered participants from...
Workshop for Members of Ukrainian Parliament answering the question, ‘How will the Istanbul Convention help to stop violence against women and domestic violence in Ukraine?’
A workshop was held on the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (also known as the Istanbul Convention), for 50 participants including Ukrainian Members of Parliament (MPs), assistants and consultants to Ukrainian MPs. The training...
Civil society communication and advocacy campaigns on the Istanbul Convention in the Czech Republic, Latvia and Poland
On 26 May, the Council of Europe in cooperation with Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) and UN Women organised an on-line event to launch the communication and advocacy campaigns on the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence...
State social centres and helpline providers better prepared to support victims of domestic violence in Armenia
On 10-25 May, a group of 81 social workers and psychologists of state social centres and helplines providing social support to families, children, elderly people and people with disabilities, as well as the key staff of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Armenia responsible for...
Training of Trainers for judges and prosecutors on combating violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo*
From 18-20 May 2021, under the project "Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence - phase II", the Council of Europe in co-operation with the Justice Academy of Kosovo* organised a three days’ Training of Trainers for judges and prosecutors on combating violence...
Call for proposals to support the implementation of national initiatives by Ukrainian NGOs
The Council of Europe project “Combating violence against women in Ukraine (COVAW)” is launching a call for proposals with the aim to co-fund national projects in Ukraine to raise awareness on the implementation of the Council of Europe standards, in particular the Council of Europe Convention on...
“Why is ratification important for Ukraine?” On-line Roundtable on the 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention
A Roundtable on ratification of the Istanbul Convention in Ukraine was held on 14 May 2021, as a joint initiative of the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine. More than 120 representatives of central and local...
New video: how the Istanbul Convention would improve assistance for victims of violence against women in Ukraine
The Council of Europe project, “Combating violence against women in Ukraine” (COVAW) has produced a new video in Ukrainian: “How the system of assistance to victims of domestic violence and violence against women will need to be improved following ratification of the Istanbul Convention”. The...
Call for proposals for practitioners of domestic and gender-based violence services in Slovakia, through EEA/Norway Grants
An open call for proposals for teams working at a local level in Slovakia on services for victims of domestic and gender-based violence within the EEA and Norway Grants programme “Domestic and Gender-based Violence” was launched on 14th May 2021. The objective of the call is to support existing...
Call for tenders – Purchase of local consultancy services for implementation of the project “Combatting violence against women in Ukraine”
The Council of Europe project “Combating Violence Against Women in Ukraine (COVAW)” is looking for providers for the procurement of local consultancy (intellectual) services in the area of combatting violence against women and domestic violence. The purpose of this call for tenders is to create a...
Azerbaijan: Registration open for webinar on awareness-raising on violence against women
The European Union and Council of Europe’s join action “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” continues its series of webinars on specific articles of the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence...
Marking the 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention in Kosovo*
11 May 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention. In order to mark this occasion, the Council of Europe Office in Pristina and...
Selected NGO projects on communication and advocacy campaigns on the Istanbul Convention in the Czech Republic, Latvia and Poland
Three civil society organisations (CSOs) were selected under the Call for proposals – CSO grants on communication and advocacy campaigns on the Istanbul Convention in the Czech Republic, Latvia, or Poland - to promote the values, aims and provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on...
HELP Course on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence launched in Azerbaijani
On 4 May 2021, the Council of Europe Human rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) course on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence was launched in Azerbaijani for a group of 30 judges, prosecutors and lawyers and will last from May to July 2021. The launch event was organised in...
Online workshops on sexual violence crimes against women in Georgia
On 17, 19 and 26 March 2021, the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia in co-operation with the Council of Europe Office in Georgia, held workshops with representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia and the Georgian Bar Association to...
First Steering Committee Meeting of the Council of Europe Project “Combatting violence against women in Ukraine” (COVAW)
The Steering Committee meeting held online on 29 April 2021 was attended by the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the Government Commissioner on Gender Policy and the Office of Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine. Other project stakeholders working in the...
Newsletter No 2 of this year has just been issued!
This newsletter covers our activities relating to the six objectives of the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy for the period January to April 2021: Prevent and combat gender stereotypes and sexism Prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence Ensuring the equal access...
Social workers strengthen their capacity to provide support to the victims of domestic violence in Armenia
As part of the social workers’ mandatory in-service training programme, a group of 240 social workers will be trained between April and December 2021 by the Yerevan State University’s Centre for Gender and Leadership Studies with the financial support of the Council of Europe. The Centre for...
New research: Setting up Treatment Programmes for Perpetrators of Domestic Violence and Violence against Women in Kosovo*
The report “Setting up Treatment Programmes for Perpetrators of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence - Analysis of legal framework and good practices” was presented online on 28 April 2021. It examines the current legal and policy framework regarding treatment of perpetrators of...
International Conference “Supporting the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Romania”
On 27 April 2021, the Council of Europe participated as a leading speaker in the on-line conference, “Supporting the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Romania” held in support of a project focused on combating violence against women under the EEA/Norway Grants Romania Justice...
Quality Guidelines for Shelters for Victims of Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in Kosovo*
On 26 April 2021, the Head of the Council of Europe Office Frank Power in Pristina, and the project team Merita Limani and Beatrice Sopa-Citaku met with Mentor Morina, Director of the Division for Social Services and Family and his colleagues Adile Shaqiri and Magbule Koci from the Ministry of...
New publication available in Azerbaijani on Article 12 of the Istanbul Convention
The Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention, is the most comprehensive international legal standard to end violence against women and domestic violence. It starts from the point that violence...
Georgian prosecutors and investigators trained on sexual violence crimes
A group of 50 prosecutors and 9 investigators received their certificates for completing a 4-day specialisation training on sexual violence crimes. The three trainings completed were a joint effort by the Council of Europe, the General Prosecutor’s Office and the UN Women Georgia. “Translating...
New Report: European Standards and Promising Practices related to Data Collection on Violence against Women
The joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Fostering a comprehensive institutional response to violence against women and domestic violence in Turkey” published the report that provides an overview of standards and promising practices on data collection from the six European countries...
Launch of HELP online course on Access to Justice for Women for professionals in 11 countries
On 7 April 2021, members of the EEA/Norway Grants SYNERGY Network against Gender-based and Domestic Violence came together for the official launch of the Council of Europe HELP course on Access to Justice for Women. The kick-off featured a keynote speech by Professor Sara De Vido on European...
Call for participants: Establishing specialist support services for victims of violence against women and domestic violence in Latvia
The Council of Europe in co-operation with the Ministry of Welfare of the Republic of Latvia are organising an on-line expert debate with Latvian governmental and non-governmental organisations, media, members of the Parliament, with the participation of national and international experts. The...
Call for tenders for the provision of consultancy services in the area of research and capacity building on women’s access to justice
The Council of Europe is launching a call for the provision of consultancy services in the area of research and capacity building on women’s access to justice in the framework of the EU/Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance II regional project Women’s Access to Justice: delivering on...
First meeting of the SYNERGY Network against Gender-based and Domestic Violence in 2021
In a gathering of governmental and non-governmental professionals dedicated to combatting violence against women, the EEA/Norway Grants’ SYNERGY Network against Gender-based and Domestic Violence held its first assembly of the year on Thursday, 18 March 2021. With a focus on mitigation measures...
What the articles of the Istanbul Convention say: Webinar
On 18 March 2021, the action “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” launched a series of webinars dedicated to explaining specific articles of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic...
Focus groups to develop a campaign on violence against women and domestic violence in Azerbaijan
On 12 and 17 March 2021, a series of online focus groups were held with Azerbaijani stakeholders. The meetings aimed to support the development of a national campaign against violence against women and domestic violence and to raise awareness of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and...
HELP online course on violence against women and domestic violence launched for Law students in Kosovo*
Under the project "Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence - phase II", the Council of Europe in co-operation with the Kosovo* Justice Academy launched the HELP course on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence for law students of the Faculty of...
New training curriculum for Prosecutors and Judges in combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in Kosovo*
On 5 March 2021, the Head of the Council of Europe office in Pristina, Frank Power, and Merita Limani, Senior Project Officer for the project on ‘’Reinforcing the Fight against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence- Phase II’’ met with Enver Fejzullahu, Executive Director of the Academy of...
8 March - International Women’s Day: Making gender equality a reality in Europe
On 8 March, the world celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD). This day is dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women in all spheres of life, be it political, cultural, social or economic. It is therefore a day where the world unites to further promote gender equality and calls on...
How does the Istanbul Convention guide countries’ actions against violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic?
As we enter into our second year battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council of Europe marks this International Women’s Day with the solemn recognition that since the outbreak of the pandemic, a dramatic increase has been reported in recorded cases of violence against women and domestic violence...
Call for proposals – CSO grants on communication and advocacy campaigns on the Istanbul Convention in the Czech Republic, Latvia, or Poland
This call for proposals aims to support civil society (CSOs) projects to promote the values, aims and provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) and dispelling myths and misinformation about it. The...
Project Board of the action “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan”
On 17 February 2021, the first meeting of the Project Board of the action “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan” took place online. The Project Board includes the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, the Ministry of...
New project launched in Ukraine to combat violence against women
On 1 January 2021, the Council of Europe launched a new two-year project, entitled “Combatting violence against women in Ukraine” (COVAW). The COVAW project has been designed in line with the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine (2018-2022) as regards supporting national legislation and...
How to report on violence against women in the media? Guideline for Armenian journalists and media professionals
Both traditional and social media play a major role both as a source of fact-based information and as a shaper of opinions. The media can promote awareness on equal and indivisible human rights and contribute to prevent and combat violence against women. The Council of Europe guideline on gender...
Experts discuss how to implement Council of Europe quality guidelines for shelters for victims of violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo*
The development of the quality guidelines for shelters for victims of VAW and DV in Kosovo* continues with discussions with the Council of Europe experts and key local authorities. The experts presented the final draft of the quality guidelines for shelters, and discussions focused on how to...
First online meetings with stakeholders to prepare a Council of Europe gap analysis of the Azerbaijani legislation and policies on violence against women and domestic violence
On 14-15 January 2021, a series of online meetings were held with Azerbaijani stakeholders to support the work of Council of Europe experts in preparing a gap analysis of the Azerbaijani legislation and policies in the field of violence against women and domestic violence in line with the Council...
Better data can save women’s lives: webinar on administrative data in Turkey
30 November 2020, the European Union and the Council of Europe organised an international webinar on “Administrative Data Collection and Analysis on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence”. This activity was part of the joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey...
High-Level Conference - Applying the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention: what does it mean in practice?
On 9 December 2020, the Council of Europe Office in Pristina and OSCE Mission in Kosovo* organised an online High-Level Conference with the aims to enhance the local knowledge on the steps needed to implement of the Istanbul Convention in Kosovo*. The conference was attended by over 80...
Administration of Justice on Sexual Violence Crimes against Women in Georgia
On 8 December 2020, the Council of Europe and the Public Defender of Georgia held a joint online conference and presented the findings of the study “Administration of Justice on Sexual Violence Crimes against Women in Georgia”. The research study analyses legislative gaps as well as barriers in...
Webinar “Gender Mainstreaming Law Schools’ Curricula”
How can gender mainstreaming strengthen women’s access to justice? What are the promising practices in Europe on ensuring gender equality in academia and research? How gender mainstreaming law schools contributes to addressing gender bias among legal professionals? These were the questions that...
Ukraine: Project results presented at Final Steering Committee Meeting
An online steering committee meeting was held on 4 December to introduce the final results of the Project “The Istanbul Convention: a tool to advance in fighting violence against women and domestic violence in Ukraine”. Participants included the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the Ministry...
Legal aid lawyers and access to justice for women victims of violence
” [I] always had to confront the argument that the aggressor must not be evicted from the common dwelling when he had no other place to live. Now I can refer to this case and demand for the aggressor to be evicted when he poses risk for other family members because of him being aggressive. I...
Media Guidance for reporting on violence against women and domestic violence in Ukraine
A Media Guidance for the Development of Self-Regulatory Standards to Report on Cases of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence has been developed to support Ukrainian media professionals to develop self-regulatory mechanisms to facilitate human rights-based, gender-sensitive and ethical...
Learn about myths and facts about the Istanbul Convention in Ukraine
On the International Day to End Violence against Women and to kick-start the 16-days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, the Council of Europe has worked in co-operation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy to produce two new infographics. “Myths and facts about the Istanbul...
Council of Europe supports Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Armenia to develop National Action Plan for Combating Domestic Violence
The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Armenia in cooperation with relevant national and international stakeholders, including the National Council on Preventing Domestic Violence, has started to define national priorities to address existing gaps and challenges in the field to develop the...
Georgian investigators embarked on HELP distance-learning course on violence against women
On 17 November 2020, the Council of Europe in co-operation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia launched the HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) online learning course on violence against women and domestic violence for 20 investigators. The HELP course offers a...
New reports and recommendations on Risk Assessment Methodologies and Restraining Orders in Ukraine
On 12 November 2020, the Council of Europe presented report findings and recommendations for 2 key reports of the project, “The Istanbul Convention: a tool to advance in fighting violence against women and domestic violence in Ukraine”. The analytical report, “Risk Assessment Standards and...
Launch of the HELP Women Access to Justice Course for 60 lawyers in Ukraine
On 4 November 2020, 60 lawyers from 16 regions in Ukraine attended the launch of the Access to Justice for Women course, by the Council of Europe’s European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP). The Course is being conducted with support from the National Bar...
Online conference on the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention standards for awareness raising against violence against women and domestic violence
In the framework of the project ‘’Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo*-Phase II’’ (supported by a voluntary contribution of the Government of Norway), the Council of Europe organised an online conference on the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention...
New call for tender for the provision of communication and visibility services in Azerbaijan
The Council of Europe is launching a call for the provision communication and visibility services under the European Union and Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance II project “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan”. Under this...
Study on Issuing Restraining or Protection Orders in Cases of Domestic Violence in Ukraine
A new report in Ukraine, ‘Court Considerations on Issuing Restraining or Protection Orders in Cases of Domestic Violence: International Standards and Overview of Ukrainian National Practice’ is now available. This study is aimed for use by Ukrainian judges, assistant judges and candidates for...
Supporting member states in their process of ratification of the Istanbul Convention
A new publication entitled “Advancing towards the ratification and implementation of the Istanbul Convention: good practices from states parties” has just been published. This study has been prepared under the framework of the project “Awareness-raising activities on the Istanbul Convention in...
The European Union, the Council of Europe and UN Women organised a series of webinars on preventing and responding to violence against women
The European Union, the Council of Europe and UN Women organised a series of webinars "A thousand ways to solve our problems: Preventing and responding to violence against women from an intersectional perspective in the Western Balkans and Turkey," within the framework of the EU-UN Women...
Online Conference: Violence against women - addressing issues with perpetrators
In the framework of the project ‘’Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo*-Phase II’’ the Council of Europe organised an online conference that gathered over 40 local and international stakeholders. Frank Power, the Head of Council of Europe Office in...
New training programmes and materials on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Turkey
The European Union and the Council of Europe, together with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services, Ministry of Justice and Justice Academy of Turkey, are revising and developing new training programmes and materials on preventing and combating violence against...
Informative meeting of the regional project “Women’s Access to Justice: Delivering on the Istanbul Convention and other European gender equality standards”
How does Covid-19 impact women’s access to justice?
On 30 September 2020, the Council of Europe organised an informative meeting on the impact of Covid-19 on Women’s Access to Justice in the Eastern Partnership countries. The meeting is an activity of the EU and CoE joint programme PGGII regional project “Women access to justice: delivering on the...
Certificate Award Ceremony of the HELP course on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in Pristina
On 24 September 2020, the Council of Europe project “Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo *- Phase II” in cooperation with Kosovo* Justice Academy, organised the Certificate Award Ceremony for the successful participants of the Europe Human Rights...
Online needs’ assessment meetings for the EU-Council of Europe joint action ‘Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan’
The Programme for Good Governance II (PGGII) is a European Union and Council of Europe joint programme in the Eastern Partnership countries. The Council of Europe is currently implementing the joint action ‘Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in...
The Steering Committee of the project in Ukraine gathers partners to assess mid-term results
On 15 September, the Second Steering Committee Meeting of the Project “The Istanbul Convention: a tool to advance in fighting violence against women and domestic violence in Ukraine” was held online, attended by 40 participants including the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the Ministry of...
Ukrainian judges deepen skills with the Council of Europe training on Access to Justice for Women
In August 2020, 26 Ukrainian judges from district, inter-district, appeals and city courts completed an online course on Access to Justice for Women, part of the Council of Europe HELP Programme (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals). With the successful completion of this course,...
The training workshops on gender equality in education continue with Armenian educators
As part of the educational reform in Armenia, education experts responsible for developing teaching materials and textbooks for primary and secondary education gathered for the three-day online training to discuss the principles of gender equality and gender mainstreaming in education. What is...
Council of Europe tools on Women’s Access to Justice now available in new languages
Within the Partnership for Good Governance II, the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe, the regional project on Women's Access to Justice: delivering on the Istanbul Convention and other European gender equality standards in the Eastern Partnership countries has...
Poland should not withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, says Secretary General
Following recent news of Polish intentions to withdraw from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić made the following statement: ...
Council of Europe's Project “Reinforcing the Fight against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in Kosovo*- Phase II “
Mid-term Steering Committee Meeting
On 17 July 2020, mid-term Steering Committee meeting of the project “Reinforcing the Fight against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in Kosovo*- Phase II”, took place online with participation from Pristina and Strasbourg. The meeting featured introductory remarks from Frank Power,...
2020/AO/33 - 26 July 2020 - Call for tenders for the provision of international consultancy services within the Project on Human rights and women in the armed forces in Armenia – PHASE II
The Council of Europe is launching a call for the provision of international consultancy services within the Project on Human rights and women in the armed forces in Armenia – PHASE II in order to support the implementation of the project with a particular expertise on the human rights protection...
Round table on advancing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence in Ukraine
A meeting focused on Multi-agency Co-operation and Data Collection was held on 8 July 2020, as the final gathering in a three-part Round table Series on advancing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence through Istanbul Convention standards. 28 participants attended the...
Round table for media in support of the Istanbul Convention Project in Ukraine
The round table on media was held on 8 July 2020, the second in a three-part Roundtable Series on advancing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence through Istanbul Convention standards. 22 participants, including journalists and media organisation representatives, civil...
Risk Assessment Standards and Methodologies to ensure the safety of victims of violence against women and domestic violence in Ukraine: a new publication is available
A new analytical report, “Risk assessment standards and methodologies for diverse stakeholders in Ukraine: Next steps in implementing international standards to ensure the safety of victims of violence against women and domestic violence” has been published in Ukraine. The aim of the Risk...
Launch of a series of round tables in support of the Istanbul Convention project in Ukraine
The Roundtable on Awareness Raising is the first of a three-part Roundtable Series on advancing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence through Istanbul Convention standards. The round table took place on 1 July 2020 with 32 participants, including the Government...
Inter-ministerial webinars on measuring Women’s Access to Justice in the Eastern Partnership countries
On 29 and 30 June 2020, the Council of Europe organised two inter-ministerial webinars on measuring access to justice including specific challenges facing women. The webinars are part of the EU and CoE joint programme, Partnership for Good Governance, PGG II: “Women access to justice (2019-2021):...
Launch of the HELP course on Access to Justice for Women, in Ukraine
The online kick-off meeting for the HELP course on Access to Justice for Women took place on 19 June 2020 with 32 participants, including Ukrainian judges from district, interdistrict, appeals and city courts, and speakers from the University of London and the National School of Judges, as well...
New deadline: Call for tenders for the provision of intellectual consultancy services on gender equality, violence against women and domestic violence, trafficking in human beings and children's rights in the Southern Mediterranean
Please note that the deadline for this call for tenders has been extended to 31 August 2020 (previous deadline 30 June 2020) Since the launch, in 2011, of the Council of Europe's policy towards neighbouring regions, particular attention has been paid to the promotion of European and international...
Call for tenders for the provision of publication design and layout services on access to justice in Eastern Partnership countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine)
The Council of Europe is launching a call for the provision of publication design and layout services on access to justice in Eastern Partnership countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) in the framework of the EU/Council of Europe Partnership for Good...
Call for tenders for the provision of local consultancy services in the area of access to justice and violence against women in Eastern Partnership countries
The Council of Europe is launching a call for the provision of consultancy services on access to justice and violence against women in Eastern Partnership countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) in the framework of the EU/Council of Europe Partnership...
Online training for legal professionals on Domestic Violence and its impact in Human Rights
An online training was organised for over 40 judges, prosecutors, police, lawyers and victims’ advocates on ”Domestic Violence and its implications to Human Rights”. This training/discussion session marked the end of the European Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) course on...
Preventing and combating violence against women in the Russian Federation: a new publication is available
The “Research on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, including in situations of social disadvantage, in the Russian Federation” has been developed in the framework of the project “Co-operation on the implementation of the Russian Federation National Action...
Online closing event of the project “Co-operation on the implementation of the Russian Federation National Action Strategy for Women (2017–2022)”
On 30 April 2020, the Council of Europe, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation closed in an online event...
Winners of the All-Russian competition “Women in the Modern World”
The all-Russian competition “Women in the Modern World” was launched in the framework of the project “Co-operation on the implementation of the Russian Federation National Action Strategy for Women (2017-2022)” . A total of 184 applications were received, 30 short-listed and 3 winners were...
Balanced participation of women and men in decision-making in the Russian Federation: a new publication is available
The report “Achieving balanced participation of women and men in political and public decision making in the Russian Federation. European Best Practices” has been developed in the framework of the project “Co-operation on the implementation of the Russian Federation National Action Strategy for...
4th edition of the HELP course on Violence against women and Domestic Violence launched online in Georgia
The Council of Europe in co-operation with the Georgian General Prosecutor’s office launched its fourth HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) online learning course on violence against women and domestic violence on 16 April 2020. The online launch served to introduce the HELP...
Ukraine has made progress towards gender equality, however challenges remain
As stated by the Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023, gender equality is one of the priorities of the Council of Europe. The past three years Katja Tiilikainen has been working as a gender adviser in the Council of Europe office in Ukraine to enhance gender mainstreaming in the...
Ahead of the International Women’s Day, prominent women politicians from Russian regions mentor future women leaders
On 4-5 March, ahead of the International Women’s Day, a mentoring event promoting women’s participation in public and political decision-making took place in Moscow. A group of 10 women politicians and decision-makers who already actively participate in Russian public and political life from...
HELP online course on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence launched in Kosovo*
On 20 February 2020, the Council of Europe in cooperation with Academy of Justice of Kosovo* launched the HELP course on violence against women and domestic violence. The course was developed by the Council of Europe Gender Equality Division and the European Programme for Human Rights Education...
What regions in the Russian Federation can do to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence: regional seminar in Ekaterinburg
On 18-19 February in Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation) more than 70 specialists gathered to discuss how actors at regional level can better co-operate to prevent and combat violence against women (VAW) and domestic violence (DV). These included international experts as well as members of national...
New study published: Gender-based asylum claims and non-refoulement: Articles 60 and 61 of the Istanbul Convention
A new publication is now available on Gender-based asylum claims and non-refoulement: Articles 60 and 61 of the Istanbul Convention. This publication belongs to a series of in-depth analyses of articles of the Convention on preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence...
New Training of Trainers curriculum on violence against women and domestic violence for legal professionals in Kosovo*
On 28-29 January 2020, the Council of Europe together with the Academy of Justice organised a two-day workshop to launch the design of a Training of Trainers (ToT) curriculumto enhance the skills and knowledge of legal professionals on how to prevent violence against women and domestic violence,...
Armenian judges, prosecutors and investigators trained on practical tools to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence
On 14-15 December 2019, the Council of Europe in co-operation with the Academy of Justice of the Republic of Armenia conducted a training for 10 judges, prosecutors and investigators on how to prevent violence against women and domestic violence, protect the victims of violence and hold the...
Armenian educators to promote gender equality in school curricula
On 29 November-1 December, education experts responsible for reviewing and revising new educational standards, criteria and curricula for the primary and secondary education in Armenia gathered for a three-day training to discuss the principles of gender mainstreaming in education. Through...
Students in Kosovo* discuss the role of young legal professionals in countering gender inequality
On 26 November 2019, about 30 students gathered at the Law Faculty of the University of Pristina to address how they can contribute to change inequality patterns, combat violence against women and domestic violence and avoid sexism. To inform the debates, participants were presented with the...
Armenian journalists discuss how to better report on violence against women and domestic violence
Journalists from four Armenian TV channels and ten online and print media agencies gathered for the two-day training seminar to discuss the principles of media reporting on the topics of violence against women and domestic violence. Through participatory training methods, the seminar discussed...
First Mentoring Programme for legal professionals in Eastern Partnership countries
On 21-22 October 2019, Eastern Partnership countries’ training institutes for judges and prosecutors took part in a 2-day training of mentors’ programme organised by the Council of Europe. Through discussions and interactive experiential methods, the participants were made conversant with the...