Tanja Rakusic-Hadzic, Head of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe Network of Police Authorities, and Ambassador Tanja Gonggrijp, Chair of the Committee of the Parties to the Istanbul Convention, presented the conclusions and recommendations of the 2025 annual conference, “From Standards to Action: The Role of Law Enforcement in Preventing Femicides and Violence Against Women”, to the Rapporteur Group on Legal Co-operation (GR-J).

The conference, held in Strasbourg from 17–18 March 2025, brought together over 100 police delegates and gender-based violence experts from Council of Europe member States.

Now in its third year, the Police Network has grown in relevance, and its annual event has become a vital forum for police services across member states to collaborate, share expertise, and promote best practices rooted in human rights.

Focusing on the urgent issue of femicide—the killing of women because of their gender—the 2025 conference highlighted the persistent reality of gender-based violence, which continues to affect one in three women. Despite the Istanbul Convention being in force for 15 years, the discussions stressed the need for a clearer definition of femicide, improved data collection, enhanced operational guidelines, and effective tools for police officers. These are essential to translating legal standards into concrete action that protects victims and ensures perpetrators are held to account.

This week, the report of the Police Network Conference was submitted to GR-J and the Secretariat urged member States to support the Network through financial contributions and nominations of policing specialists, emphasising that such backing is crucial to sustaining the Network’s role as a key driver in turning Council of Europe standards into practical ways forward.