Speaking at the October plenary session of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić called on all countries that have not yet done so to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention.
“It is a unique treaty that protects women from violence,” she said. “It takes an all-around approach to tackling violence against women and domestic violence. It requires states parties to take measures for the prevention of crime, the protection of victims, and prosecution of perpetrators.”
For countries where the Istanbul Convention is in force, “public fears about its impact have come to nothing, while victims and potential victims – primarily women – have been better served and protected”.
