On 20 April 2020, the Committee of the Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention) adopted a Declaration on the implementation of the Convention during COVID-19 pandemic.
Recognising the challenges that Council of Europe member states are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee of Parties calls upon state parties to uphold their undertakings under the Istanbul Convention and to fortify measures taken to prevent and combat violence against women, including the protection of victims and ensuring their access to support services.
The Declaration underlines that the standards of the Istanbul Convention apply all times and it provides guidance for possible actions and measures to be taken during the pandemic through the selected provisions of the Istanbul Convention.
The unofficial Turkish translation of the Declaration and its annex can be found here.
