(Brussels 09 September) On the 3rd of September, 1953, something known as the European Convention on Human Rights, an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe, which also enabled the establishment the European Court of Human Rights came into force. In the passing sixty years, the court has delivered approximately 16,500 judgments, and has dealt with over 500,000 applications for judgements.
The Convention protects the right to:
– life, freedom and security
– respect for private and family life
– freedom of expression
– freedom of thought, conscience and religion
– vote in and stand for election
– a fair trial in civil and criminal matters
– property and peaceful enjoyment of possessions.
The Convention prohibits:
– the death penalty
– torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
– slavery and forced labour
– arbitrary and unlawful detention
– discrimination in the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms secured by the Convention
– deportation of a state’s own nationals or denying them entry and the collective deportation of foreigners.
And yet, human rights are under heavy, relentless attack.
Here’s a factsheet of the judgements delivered by the Court on Violence Against Women. Without the Court as watchdog, what would the reality of violence against women look like today? It remains to be seen if the benevolence and good will of member states (which today number 47) would be enough to maintain women’s rights.
