Transcript Ms. Raluca Popa, Equality Division, Council of Europe

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
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
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 decisionmaking
• Achieving gender mainstreaming in all
policies and measures
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 community’s 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
SOME FEATURES OF THE ISTANBUL
CONVENTION LINKED TO SAFEGUARDING
WOMEN‘S 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)
SOME FEATURES OF THE ISTANBUL
CONVENTION LINKED TO SAFEGUARDING
WOMEN‘S 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)
SIGN, RATIFY AND
IMPLEMENT THE
ISTANBUL CONVENTION!
Equality Division
Directorate of Democracy
Strasbourg F-67075
CONTACT
INFORMATION
E-mail: [email protected];
[email protected]
Fax: +33 (0) 3 88 41 27 64
www.coe.int/equality
www.coe.int/conventionviolence