|
|
|
|
|
Combating domestic violence against women: a challenge for social
development
Paris, 15 May 2008
At a colloquy held today by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe (PACE) in the French National Assembly, Rama Yade, State
Secretary responsible for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights, said that
the level of progress made by any society could be gauged by the status
of women in that society, and that combating domestic violence against
women was not only a matter affecting the status of women but also a
challenge for the whole process of social development.
She added that the Council of Europe and its Assembly played a frontline
role in promoting human rights in this field, reminding participants
that the Council of Europe’s Recommendation (2002) 5 on the protection
of women against violence had been the first European legal instrument
to tackle this problem and quoting the Declaration adopted in Vienna on
30 April 2008, which stressed the importance of action at national
parliament level, including adopting new legislation and monitoring its
implementation.
José Mendes Bota (Portugal, EPP/CD) vice-Chair of PACE’s Equal
Opportunities Committee, pointed to the urgent need for a Council of
Europe Framework Convention to combat violence against women, including
domestic violence, in order to build bridges towards a safer future for
women.
Valérie Létard, the French State Secretary responsible for Solidarity,
said that the impetus provided by the Council of Europe and its
Parliamentary Assembly in combating the scourge of conjugal violence was
a beacon reinforcing our political determination in this field. “The
perspectives set out in the recent Vienna Declaration, including the
draft Framework Convention, highlight the need to continue the
mobilisation and demonstrates that we can depend on PACE’s commitment in
the future,” she said. |
|
|
|