News
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...
Council of Europe HELP Course on access to justice for women launched to empower dudges and prosecutors from the Western Balkans
In a significant step towards enhancing gender-sensitive legal practices and strengthening the capacity of judges and prosecutors in addressing gender bias in the judiciary in the Western Balkans, the regional HELP course on access to justice for women (HELP WAJ) was launched with the support...
Coordinating action on Gender Equality - GEC holds exchanges with CEDAW, OSCE/ODIHR, OECD and ECRI
At its 25th Plenary Session, held on 16 – 18 April 2024 in Strasbourg, the Gender Equality Commission (GEC) held a number of fruitful exchanges with partner organisations. Promoting women in decision-making and in public life was the focus of discussions with Ana Peláez Narváez, Chair of the...
Results of the call for projects for civil society organisations in Serbia: Communication and advocacy initiatives on the Istanbul Convention
The Council of Europe “Ending violence against women: multi-country programme” has finalised the assessment of the call for proposals for civil society organisations (CSOs) in Serbia. The aim of the call aim is to support awareness-raising and advocacy initiatives that promote the values, aims,...
Launch of the Council of Europe guidelines for social workers
On 9 April 2024, over 50 experts, representatives from specialised ministries and agencies, and civil society members, were introduced to new Guidelines for social workers, a collaborative effort between the Council of Europe and the Ministry of labour and social protection. Rodica...
Moldovan authorities present roadmap to implement GREVIO recommendations
On 9 April 2024, a significant step towards addressing violence against women and domestic violence was taken as the Specialised Commission on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention convened under the National Council for human rights. Bringing together 57 experts, representatives from...
Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General advocates for gender equality in the Republic of Moldova
On 8 April April 2024, Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, emphasized the importance of advancing gender equality during his visit to Moldova State University. His lecture "Advancing gender equality and tackling violence against women in the Republic of Moldova"...
Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy for 2024-2029 available in Ukrainian
The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers adopted a new Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy for 2024-2029 on 6 March 2024, which has now been translated into Ukrainian. This six-year strategy will guide the work of the Council of Europe and its member states, including Ukraine, toward...
Gender Equality Commission meeting, 16-18 April 2024
The 25th plenary meeting of the Gender Equality Commission (GEC) will take place on 16-18 April 2024 in Strasbourg. Following the adoption of the Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2024-2029 by the Committee of Ministers in March 2024, the meeting will mainly focus on exchanges with...
Strategies to criminalise and prosecute sexual violence under the Istanbul Convention
Sexual violence, including rape, represents one of the most under-reported forms of violence against women. It is characterised by high attrition rates at the investigation and prosecution stages and few convictions, which lead to a culture of impunity. To show the evolution of legislation,...
Conference in Pristina: Implementing the Istanbul Convention through case-Law: judicial dialogue for an effective judicial response
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...
Manual for police officers on effective response to violence against women in Ukraine
A new edition of the Council of Europe publication “Combating violence against women and domestic violence: A practical guide for police officers” has been released in response to the continuing challenge of the war in Ukraine, as well as recent important developments in Ukrainian legislation as...
Guidelines for parties to the Istanbul Convention to report on the implementation of the Convention
The publication, Guidelines on Reporting for Baseline GREVIO Evaluations, has been developed to assist parties to the Istanbul Convention to organise all essential information related to the convention’s baseline and thematic reporting processes. The Guidelines provide support during monitoring...
Armenian police chiefs committed to combating violence against women
The second group of Armenian police leadership, 14 police chiefs (14 men) from regional divisions and five officers (2 women and 3 men) from the department on protection of Juveniles' rights and combating domestic violence of the General Department of Armenian Police gathered in Tsaghkadzor on...
Breaking down gender stereotypes in media and advertising
In the margins of the 68th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, the Council of Europe organised a side-event titled “Catalysts for change: breaking down gender stereotypes in media and advertising”. The event was co-organised with the Permanent Mission of Liechtenstein to the...
Training Ukrainian lawyers, judges and prosecutors to better handle cases of violence against women
On 5 March 2024, the Council of Europe launched the online course, “Violence against women and domestic violence” for 69 Ukrainian lawyers, judges, and prosecutors. This initiative, held just prior to International Women's Day, reaffirms the undeniable right of all women and girls to live in a...
Increasing awareness on gender equality on International Women’s Day
The joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Fostering women's access to justice in Türkiye” contributed to the “Conference on Women’s Human Rights” organised at the Ankara University Faculty of Law in co-operation with several universities. Women in family law, women’s physical...
Artificial Intelligence - Bridging the Equality Gap
“More and more, AI is giving shape to the world we live in - our job prospects, our health-care outcomes, our access to benefits and services. The list of areas affected by AI is long and is growing. Unless we learn how to harness the potential of AI to bridge inequalities - including gender...
Breaking down gender stereotypes in media and advertising
In the margins of the 68th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, the Council of Europe will organise a side-event titled “Catalysts for change: breaking down gender stereotypes in media and advertising”. The event is co-organised with the Permanent Mission of Liechtenstein to the...
Council of Europe adopts Gender Equality Strategy for 2024-2029
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has adopted a new Gender Equality Strategy for 2024-2029. In line with the Reykjavik commitments of the Heads of State and Government, this Strategy will guide the organisation’s work towards gender equality over the next six years. Secretary General...