1. The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention)
AN OVERVIEW

2. WHY A CONVENTION…
… on violence against women and domestic violence?

4. European challenges
Male-oriented or gender-neutral laws not taking into account the realities of women
Different levels of protection and support
Insufficient funding of services
Lack of multi-agency co-operation
Protection and support services not meeting the needs of victims
Negative and discriminatory attitudes towards women
victims from the police, judiciary or social services.

5. Who does the Convention cover?
The Convention covers women and girls, from any background, regardless of their age, race, religion, social origin, association with a national minority, migrant status or sexual orientation, etc.
The Convention recognises that there are groups of women and girls that are often at greater risk of experiencing violence, and states need to ensure that their specific needs are taken into account.
The Convention recognises that domestic violence affects women disproportionately.
Through its non-discrimination provision, the Convention requires States Parties to apply all the measures that form part of its holistic response to violence against women to all victims, without discrimination on any ground, including without discrimination on disability.

6. Current progress Ratifications: 22
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey
Signatories: 22
Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Norway, Slovakia, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine and United Kingdom

7. Holistic approach to combating violence against women
INTEGRATED
POLICIES
PREVENTION
Istanbul Convention
PROTECTION
PROSECUTION

8. Integrated policies
obligation to adopt and implement comprehensive and co-ordinated policies to offer a holistic response to violence against women
obligation to involve all relevant actors: government agencies, judicial authorities, NGOs and civil society, national human rights institutions, etc.

9. prevention Regularly run awareness-raising campaigns
Tackle attitudes, prejudices, gender roles and stereotypes through teaching material
Actively engage men and boys
Work closely with NGOs, civil society organisations, the private sector and the media
➨ Address a culture where acts of violence against women are condoned or justified

10. Protection and support services
set up shelters in sufficient numbers and in wide geographical distribution
ensure that general support services can support or refer victims of all forms of violence against women
introduce free-of-charge 24/7 telephone helplines that ensure confidentiality
ensure access to clear information in several languages
set up rape crisis centres or sexual assault referral centres

11. VICTIMS’ SAFETY COMES FIRST
Obligation to introduce emergency barring orders
Obligation to introduce restraining and protection orders
Obligation to take into consideration any known incidents of violence against women (in particular domestic violence) when deciding over custody or visitation rights

12. Prosecution (1) Criminalises the following forms of VAW:
physical, sexual and psychological violence
Sexual assault and rape
Stalking
Forced marriage
Female genital mutilation
Forced abortion and forced sterilisation
Criminalises or otherwise sanctions sexual harassment
Tackles crimes in the name of so-called “honour”
Ex parte and ex officio proceedings

13. Prosecution (2) Empowering victims through judicial proceedings
Protecting their image and privacy
Allowing counselors to accompany victims
Separate waiting rooms
Allow victims to testify without being present
Free legal aid
Prohibit mandatory conciliation and mediation

14. Professionalism and awareness
Victim-centred approach: rights and needs of the victims at the heart of all interventions
Gender-based understanding of violence
Risk assessment and management to keep the victim safe
Avoid secondary victimisation
Time is important: Immediate response, prevention and protection

15. violence against women with disabilities
Calls on the States to address the specific needs of vulnerable persons and provide specialised assistance to them;
Requires that coordinated policies and legislation be put in place that involve the various national agencies and actors concerned: the judiciary, the police, service providers, non- governmental organisations, national, regional and local parliaments and authorities;
Requires the States Parties to ensure that relevant statistical data disaggregated by sex are collected on all forms of violence covered by the convention, and to support research in this field in order to obtain a comprehensive picture on violence against women to serve as a basis for their policies.

16. Istanbul Convention and the new strategy on the rights of the person with disabilities
According to the new Council of Europe Strategy on the rights of persons with disabilities on gender equality standards and mechanisms
Women and girls with disabilities often face additional barriers and higher levels of discrimination in their access to human rights and activities in comparison to men. Women and girls with disabilities are also often at greater risk of all forms of violence, both within and outside the home
In order to mitigate these additional barriers and improve equality, a gender equality perspective needs to be employed in all work and activities within the Council of Europe and at the national and local levels, including in the work of independent monitoring mechanisms such as GREVIO.
Council of Europe bodies, member States and other relevant stakeholders should seek to
Encourage independent Council of Europe monitoring mechanisms such a GREVIO to integrate equality and non-discrimination of all persons with disabilities and their equal enjoyment of human rights into their monitoring work, where applicable, and to make recommendations in this regard.

17. HOW BEST TO BE HEARD BY GREVIO?
Drawing-up of a shadow report following the examination of GREVIO’s baseline questionnaire (made public in March 2016)
Provision of additional information following the examination of State reports (published, as a rule, following reception)
co-ordination at European and national level
sharing resources, experiences and expertise
N.B. check the web site for reporting deadlines but be assured that we are happy to receive information at any time during the monitoring procedure

18. HOW BEST TO BE HEARD BY GREVIO? (2)
Country visits
GREVIO delegation will seek to meet NGOs/civil society representatives on the ground during country evaluation visits.

19. HOW BEST TO BE HEARD BY GREVIO? (3)
Be the first to warn GREVIO in case of serious violations of the Convention
GREVIO may decide to evaluate the situation in a State Party as a matter of priority;
GREVIO may request a State Party to provide it with a special report and may initiate an inquiry procedure.

20. Malta Joint Statement of February 2017
European Parliament,
European Commission
the Council Presidency
have jointly made a strong call for action to the Member States, asking them to ratify and fully implement the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) and to approve the EU’s accession to this Convention in a meaningful way.
IC is a key step to ensure protection of women and girls with disabilities since they are at even higher risk of violence, abuse and forced sterilisation

21. Facts and figures
In Europe, 50 women die every week from male domestic violence
Women with disabilities are 2 to 5 times more likely to be victims of violence than non-disabled women and are subjected to sterilisation and abortions against their will. There are 46 million women and girls with disabilities in Europe, representing 60% of the overall population of persons with disabilities.
34% of women with a health problem or disability have experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner in their lifetime.

22. For further information and contacts:
THANK YOU!
For further information and contacts: