European campaign to stop domestic violence against women
WEDNESDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2006

Next week the Council of Europe will launch a major campaign to stop domestic violence against women. The campaign will start with a ceremony in Madrid on 27 November and will continue until March 2008. The decision to launch the campaign was taken at the Council of Europe meeting of heads of state and government in May 2005. The Parliamentary Assembly supports this decision and has adopted a resolution (no. 1512) on guidelines for the campaign at the parliamentary level. The resolution was prepared at various meetings including at a committee hearing in March 2006 in Stockholm, arranged by the Riksdag delegation to the Council of Europe.

The Swedish delegation to the Council of Europe has appointed Carina Hägg (Social Democratic Party) as Campaign Coordinator at the Riksdag. She is supported by a working group which will draw up a plan for measures in the Riksdag designed to combat violence against women. The group, which has been appointed by the Secretary-General of the Riksdag, comprises Kirsti Pulkka-Ericson, Secretary of the Swedish delegation to the Council of Europe, Lars Franzén, Secretary to the Committee on Justice, Cecilia Back, Secretary to the Committee on Health and Welfare and Katharina Tollin, holder of a Riksdag scholarship, co-opted.

Violence against women in close relationships represents a serious violation of human rights and conflicts with fundamental democratic values. Since 1985 the Council of Europe has regarded violence against women as a special aspect of its work with the UN Human Rights Convention. In Sweden violence against women has been highlighted as an important political issue ever since the late 1970s. Despite this, it is increasing in Sweden. Last year 24,097 cases of violence against women were reported. This development is not unique and similar patterns are emerging in other European countries. Violence against women is a social problem that goes beyond national borders, and that must therefore be combated at the European and international level.

Read more on the campaign website. http://www.coe.int/stopviolence/assembly

For further information please contact:
Carina Hägg (Social Democratic Party), mobile: +46-70-574 54 15 or Kirsti Pulkka-Ericson, Secretary of the Swedish delegation to the Council of Europe,
tel: +46-8-786 55 90.


Christina Green
Press Secretary, tel. +46-8-786 40 54, +46-70-609 64 48