The Council of Europe Expert Group on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) has published its baseline evaluation report on Norway. It contains a comprehensive analysis of the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Norway. While acknowledging the steps taken to improve compliance with convention standards the report identifies areas where progress is still needed.
The GREVIO experts praise Norway’s long history in promoting gender equality, and welcome the measures taken through national action plans and the country’s well-established network of general and specialist services for victims of violence against women. Regarding legal developments, Norway is considering the adoption of a consent-based definition of the criminal offence of rape, which will hopefully lead to more stringent compliance with the Istanbul Convention.
Despite these achievements, GREVIO observed an insufficient level of recognition of women’s specific experiences with gender-based violence in the legislative and policy documents. The report further highlights the need to address the increased vulnerability of certain groups of women exposed to intersectional discrimination and raises serious concerns related to mandatory mediation in divorce and separation proceedings for couples who have children under 16.
GREVIO’s report is published with the Norwegian government’s comments.
