NEW COUNCIL OF EUROPE STANDARDS FOR PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY AND PREVENTING AND COMBATING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN : PREMISES FOR CO-OPERATION

1
NEW COUNCIL OF EUROPE STANDARDS FOR PROMOTING
GENDER EQUALITY AND PREVENTING AND COMBATING
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN PREMISES FOR
CO-OPERATION
Raluca Popa Equality Division Directorate
General of Democracy Council of Europe
2
THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

• Four major treaties are the foundation of the
  work to protect the human rights and dignity of
  women in the 47 member states of the Council of
  Europe
• the European Convention on Human Rights
• the European Social Charter
• the Convention on Action against Trafficking in
  Human Beings
• and, the newest, the Convention on Preventing and
  Combating Violence against Women and Domestic
  Violence

3
THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE GENDER EQUALITY STRATEGY
(2014-2017)

• Five key objectives
• Combating gender stereotypes and sexism
• Preventing and combating violence against women
• Guaranteeing equal access of women to justice
• Achieving balanced participation of women and men
  in political and public decision-making
• Achieving gender mainstreaming in all policies
  and measures

4
ISTANBUL CONVENTION

• The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing
  and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic
  Violence opened for signature in May 2011, in
  Istanbul
• Entered into force 1st of August 2014
• Currently ratified by 15 member states of the
  Council of Europe
• Some basics
• The international communitys most comprehensive
  and detailed response to violence against women
• Incorporates global norms, such as 1992 General
  Recommendation 19 of the CEDAW and 1993 UN
  Declaration on the Elimination of VAW
• Best on based practice and state of the art
• knowledge

5
SOME FEATURES OF THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION LINKED
TO SAFEGUARDING WOMENS ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND
CULTURAL RIGHTS

• Extensive anti-discrimination clause on
  implementation includes social origin and
  property among impermissible grounds (Article
  4, paragraph 3)
• Definition of domestic violence includes economic
  violence (Article 3, paragraph b)
• Culture, custom, religion, tradition and
  so-called honour cannot be used as justifications
  for violence against women (Article 12, paragraph
  5)

6
SOME FEATURES OF THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION LINKED
TO SAFEGUARDING WOMENS ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND
CULTURAL RIGHTS

• Right to free legal aid for victims (Article 57)
• Support services for victims of gender-based
  violence, such as shelters, telephone helplines
  available 24 hours, and rape crisis centres or
  sexual violence referral centres
• Due diligence standard is defined as the
  obligation of states to prevent, investigate,
  punish and provide reparation for acts of
  violence perpetrated by non-state actors
  (Article 5)

7
SIGN, RATIFY AND IMPLEMENT THE ISTANBUL
CONVENTION!
8
CONTACTINFORMATION
Equality Division Directorate of Democracy
Strasbourg F-67075 E-mail gender.equality_at_coe.
int conventionviolence_at_coe.int Fax 33 (0) 3
88 41 27 64    www.coe.int/equality
www.coe.int/conventionviolence