To improve law enforcement responses in cases of violence against women and domestic violence, law enforcement professionals now can learn more about the human rights dimension in countering such violence with new Council of Europe training for more effective victim-centred police response. The new HELP course on Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence for law enforcement – jointly developed by the Council of Europe’s HELP Programme and its Gender Equality and Violence against Women divisions – offers detailed, practical and comprehensive training to improve the quality of law enforcement responses to violence against women cases and support in victims’ access to justice.

It draws on the experience of several European police and law enforcement services including Denmark, France, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden, and it is based on the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women (“Istanbul Convention”) and monitoring work of the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO). The course also can be used by other first line professionals facing cases of violence against women and domestic violence, such as social or health professionals, civil society organisations, students and other interested groups.