Co-operation Newsroom
Synergy for change: Civil society raising awareness on violence against women in a context of global challenges
On 11 and 12 July 2024, the Gender Equality Division hosted the conference “Synergy for Change” for representatives of civil society organisations active in combating violence against women and promoting gender equality. The conference, held in Budapest within the framework of Ending violence...
Eastern Partnership law schools agree to advance on gender mainstreaming university education
Representatives of law schools from major universities in Armenia, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine met in Tbilisi to discuss gender mainstreaming efforts including across the curricula. Over the course of two days, professors of law benefitted from several presentations, including on the...
Republic of Moldova takes steps to tackle violence against women with a data-driven approach
Chisinau, Moldova, 27-28 June 2024 - The Moldovan National Agency for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (ANPCV) is taking significant steps to improve data collection and analysis on violence against women. Fragmented data has long hindered...
Further steps taken by the Regional Network of Eastern Partnership judicial training institutions for advancing women’s access to justice and gender mainstreaming in the justice chain
The second meeting of the Eastern Partnership Regional Network of judicial training institutions was held on 5 July 2024 in Strasbourg, as part of the HELP Network Annual Conference. The meeting gathered rectors, vice-rectors and heads of international co-operation departments from Eastern...
Empowering change: Armenian investigators trained to tackle domestic violence
On 14-15 June 2024, in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia an intensive two-day training took place aimed at equipping 24 investigators (11 women and 13 men) with skills to combat violence against women and domestic violence and prepare them for smooth implementation of recent amendments in field-regulating...
Ukrainian judges, prosecutors and lawyers trained on violence against women and domestic violence
65 Ukrainian judges, prosecutors and lawyers have successfully completed the Council of Europe HELP online course on violence against women. The course has been adapted to meet the specific needs of Ukraine. Through the Violence against Women HELP course, legal professionals gain a deeper...
Moldovan delegation of violence against women and domestic violence professionals visits Spain
A delegation of 16 representatives from the Republic of Moldova participated at a capacity building study visit to Spain and learned from Spanish practices in preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. The visit was facilitated by the Council of Europe project...
19 June: International Day for the elimination of sexual violence in conflict
In response to the growing number of cases of conflict related sexual violence in Ukraine, the Council of Europe supports Ukrainian national authorities and government agencies, civil society organisations and local NGOs with resources to support their efforts provide tailored and...
Collaborative efforts to implement new domestic violence legislation in Armenia
On 23 May 2024, representatives the Armenian National Assembly, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Investigative Committee, Court of Cassation, the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Labour and Social Affairs, Justice, Health, Education, Science, Culture and Sports and civil society organisations (CSOs)...
Strengthening protection of migrant women, and Istanbul Convention monitoring in Ukraine
On 24 May 2024 an online round table was organised to discuss protection of the rights of refugees, migrants and asylum seeking women and girls, as outlined in the Council of Europe Recommendation on protecting the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls, adopted by Ukraine...
Increasing legal literacy of women in the earthquake-affected regions of Türkiye
Between 7-10 May 2024, a total of 87 women affected by the earthquakes of February 2023 attended a training aiming at empowering them to claim their rights and increased their knowledge on how to access support services. The trainings were organised in the container cities housing more than 600...
Promising practices on implementing the Istanbul Convention discussed in Ukraine
340 civil servants from regional offices of the National Social Service of Ukraine participated in a webinar on the publication “After ratification: promising practices on implementation of the Istanbul Convention” on 23 May 2024. In the publication, the Council of Europe: examines common...
SYNERGY Network highlights Czech-Norwegian good practice on gender-based violence against women
A project by the Czech Gender Equality Department and the Norwegian NGO “Alternative to violence” has been featured by the SYNERGY Network against gender-based and domestic violence as an example of good practice on addressing gender-based violence. The project, funded by the EEA and Norway...
Working together to end violence against women
European countries are taking a stronger stand against violence against women thanks to a key international human rights treaty, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). This convention goes beyond simply...
New Council of Europe Recommendation on gender equality of Roma and Traveller women and girls now available in Ukrainian
The Council of Europe new Recommendation on ensuring equality of Roma and Traveller women and girls outlines concrete measures to ensure Roma and Traveller women and girls have equal access to education, healthcare, employment, and housing, and addresses challenges such as discrimination,...
Protecting the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women, victims of gender -based and domestic violence, in the Republic of Moldova
On 23 May 2024, in Chisinau, the Council of Europe hosted a round table discussion with representatives of Moldovan national authorities, civil society and international organisations to explore the protection provided by the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence...
Preventing violence against women and domestic violence through formal and informal education in Ukraine
The Council of Europe has developed a new tool for education professionals, “Checklist for preventing violence against women through formal and informal education” to support implementation of Article 14 of the Istanbul Convention. This publication provides a self-regulatory mechanism to...
Open call for proposals from civil society organisations to promote gender equality in Ukraine
The Council of Europe project “Promoting Gender Equality in Ukraine (Pro-GE)” has opened a call to award grants to civil society organisations working in Ukraine. This call for proposals aims to provide grants to local women`s rights civil society organisations to develop and implement awareness...
Council of Europe publishes study on digital violence against women in the Republic of Moldova
The study provides a set of recommendations for aligning with the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence known as the Istanbul Convention. It emphasises gaps in the protection against online and technology-facilitated violence against...
Guide to protect the rights of refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking women and girls
The Guide to the implementation of the Council of Europe Recommendation on protecting the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and Girls has been developed to provide concrete support to Ukrainian stakeholders, and others throughout Europe involved in policy making, such as civil...
Applying a gender equality lens to journalisms in Armenia
Thirteen Armenian journalists and representatives of media civil society organisations (11 women and 2 men) participated in a seminar on 16-17 May 2024 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia on gender sensitive language, lens, and ethical approaches in journalism to cover stories on violence against women and...
Gender-responsive legal practices in Türkiye – What does it mean for legal professionals?
An international panel on gender-responsive legal practices was organised on 15 May in Ankara, Türkiye as part of the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Ankara. The panel aimed to provide an overview...
Civil society raises awareness on the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Armenia
Three civil society organisation (CSOs) - Armavir Development Center in Armavir province, Martuni Women’s Community Council in Gegharkunik province, and Sose Women’s Issues in Syunik province - have completed communication and advocacy projects that ran from June 2023 to February 2024. These...
Closing the policy gaps for combatting digital and sexual violence against women in Bosnia and Herzegovina
On 14 May 2024 in Mostar the Council of Europe event "Harmonizing legal responses: Gap analysis on digital and sexual violence against women in Bosnia and Herzegovina“ convened executive policy-makers, representatives of executive and legislative bodies, judicial and law enforcement...
Istanbul Convention at 13: Promising Practices to end violence against women
11 May 2024 marks the 13th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Istanbul Convention, which sets the standard for preventing and combatting violence against women and domestic violence. Ukraine, which ratified the Convention in 2022, is nearing its 2nd anniversary with the convention....
University students in Türkiye trained on gender-sensitive legal practices
The joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Fostering women's access to justice in Türkiye” launched the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) course on "Access to justice for women" to run between 23 February- 22 April 2024. It aimed to increase knowledge and skills of...
Eastern Partnership judicial training institutions commit to enhance regional co-operation
Rectors, vice-rectors and heads of international co-operation departments from Eastern Partnership judicial training institutions gathered in Brussels on 18-19 April 2024 for a series of meetings, presentations and workshops aimed at establishing a regional network. The aim of this regional...
HELP course on violence against women and domestic violence for Azerbaijani law enforcement officials
Acknowledging the crucial role law enforcement plays in countering violence against women and domestic violence, the new online Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) course in Azerbaijani aims to equip professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively respond to...
Ukraine strengthens efforts to end violence against women: Council of Europe project marks midterm progress
On 9 April 2024 the Council of Europe project “Combatting violence against women in Ukraine - Phase II” (COVAW II) held a meeting of partners and stakeholders to highlight project achievements in 2023 and present planned steps for 2024. Key institutions, representatives of professional...
Authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina discuss good practices in investigating and prosecuting digital violence against women
On 23 April 2024 the event on "Emerging and good practices in investigating and prosecuting digital violence against women“ in Sarajevo convened stakeholders from various sectors, including the judiciary, to explore international best practices in addressing digital violence against women. The...
