The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Council of Europe Project “Combating Violence against Women and Children in Ukraine” organized a seminar “Exchange of experiences on the role of Parliaments in preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence” in Budapest on the 28.-29^th of September 2017.  The main objective of the seminar was to support the ratification and, later on, the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and further harmonization of national legislation aiming at combating violence against women and domestic violence in Ukraine.

Among the participants were Ukrainian parliamentarians, representative of Ukrainian NGOs working on violence against women and domestic violence, Ministry of Social Policy and Ministry of Interior Affairs, as well as Parliamentarians from Austria, France and Georgia who shared their experience on the ratification process and posterior implementation of the IC in their respective countries. In addition a few international experts on gender and violence against women attended the seminar. Two Ukrainian women who have suffered from domestic violence shared their experience and their participation was very highly appreciated by all attendees.

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence is the most far-reaching international treaty to tackle this serious violation of human rights. It aims at zero tolerance for such violence and is a major step forward in making Europe and beyond safer.

Preventing violence, protecting victims and prosecuting the perpetrators are the cornerstones of the convention. It also seeks to change the hearts and minds of individuals by calling on all members of society, in particular men and boys, to change their attitudes. In essence, it is a renewed call for greater equality between women and men, because violence against women is deeply rooted in the inequality between women and men in society and is perpetuated by a culture of intolerance and denial.