“All women and girls have the right to live free from violence. Unfortunately, this is not the reality. One in three women has experienced physical or sexual violence – 22% at the hands of their partner. More than half of all women have been sexually harassed with 20% of young women reporting online sexual harassment”, said today Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
To mark the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, the Council of Europe clears away serious misconceptions about its landmark Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention).These misrepresentations are exposed and rectified in a new question-and-answer format text released today, which also highlights the focus of the convention to end violence against women and to protect women’s human rights.
Moreover, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) today launched a new initiative to counter sexism and sexual abuse in parliaments across Europe, #NotInMyParliament.
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"Violence against women and girls is a serious human rights violation. Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we all must come together and take steps to eradicate this utterly unacceptable scourge.The Council of Europe Istanbul Convention is a modern, far-reaching and effective instrument to prevent violence against women and domestic violence as well as protect victims and punish perpetrators. The Finnish Presidency of the Committee of Ministers urges all States to ratify and implement the Istanbul Convention without delay.", stated the Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs in his declaration on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
