1 January 2019 - 28 February 2023
The European Union
the Capacity Building and Co-operation Projects Unit at the Council of Europe's Gender Equality Division
Anca SANDESCU, Project Manager
Do you know how access to justice is linked to combating violence against women and sexism? Do you want to understand how the Covid-19 pandemic can offer an opportunity to radically rethink and reshape national approaches to access to justice and gender equality? Do you want to know how legal professionals can ensure substantive equality to women and men ? These questions are addressed in the report of the 2021 international conference on Women’s access to justice: moving closer to full ratification and implementation of the Istanbul Convention.
The report sets five crucial steps for decision makers on how to ensure women’s access to justice without discrimination and in full respect of Council of Europe gender equality:
- Improve training for law enforcement and legal personnel on women’s rights and access to justice, particularly on the impact of gender stereotyping and myths.
- Improve the capacity of justice systems to deal with women’s rights to adapt in times of crisis by improved resourcing and ensuring that jurisdictional, discriminatory, procedural and evidentiary deficiencies are removed.
- Ensure that civil society organisations are seen as a primary partner in the justice chain and as crucial in facilitating the empowerment of women.
- Ensure a survivor-centred focus in the legal and policy response to victims of gender-based violence.
- Boost levels of women’s participation in justice delivery by supporting women’s law networks and reforming legal admission and appointment.
The report’s foundation is that “equal access to justice is a fundamental right… enshrined in both the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter”. A right that every Council of Europe member State is obliged to ensure.
The International conference was part of activities organised under the joint EU-Council of Europe Programme “Partnership for Good Governance II” in the framework of the regional project on “Women’s Access to Justice: delivering on the Istanbul Convention and other European gender equality standards” in the Eastern Partnership countries.
Related links
Report of the International Conference "Women’s Access to Justice: moving closer to full ratification and implementation of the Istanbul Convention” ENG
Report of the International Conference "Women’s Access to Justice: moving closer to full ratification and implementation of the Istanbul Convention” 
HELP course on Access to Justice for Women
