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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.
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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 decision-making • 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)
Equality Division Directorate of Democracy Strasbourg F-67075 E-mail: gender.equality@coe.int; conventionviolence@coe.int Fax: +33 (0) 3 88 41 27 64 www.coe.int/equality www.coe.int/conventionviolence CONTACTINFORMATION