''This year, from January to September, in my city of Salzburg alone, more than 30 women reported to the police that they had been raped. As politicians and policy-makers, we have to advocate for change and speak out for those women less able to defend themselves,'' stated Gudrun Mosler-Törnström, Congress President and Vice-President of the State Parliament of Salzburg, in a video message on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, on 25 November 2016. In a message posted the same day, Nawel Rafik Elmrini (France, SOC), Vice-Chair of the Congress Current Affairs Committee and deputy Mayor of Strasbourg, highlighted the need for specific actions involving all stakeholders. They both insisted on the importance of an adequate legal framework, based on the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence – the Istanbul Convention. This convention has been ratified so far by 22 countries and the Congress invites local and regional elected representatives to encourage their governments who have not yet done so to ratify it.       

Message by Gudrun Mosler-Törnström
Message de Nawel Rafik Elmrini
Website of the Human rights channel - Council of Europe