(Brussels, 23 October 2013) The European Civil Society Networks CIFCA and Grupo Sur and the Heirinch Böll Foundation have launched a campaign, supported by the EWL, that aims to give visibility to the phenomenon of Feminicide in Europe and Latin America and to end impunity for this brutal and extreme form of violence against women.
According to a recent report by the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, the prevalence of different manifestations of gender-related killings is reaching alarming proportions. The ongoing increase of Feminicide in most parts of Latin America and the impossibility to reduce it in Europe demonstrates the failure of States to fulfil their duties to prevent and eradicate this extreme form of violence against women.
As part of the Campaign, a video “Highlighting the phenomenon of Feminicides in Europe and Latin America” has been produced to encourage the states to take responsibility and to ratify and fulfill the obligations of the international agreements and conventions the that are aimed at protecting the rights of women, such as the Istanbul Convention in Europe or the Convention Belém do Pará in Latin America. The video defines the phenomenon of Feminicide and its characteristics, emphasizing the current dramatic situation and to all the States to implement politics aimed to protect the women’s rights and guarantee the access to the effective justice. You can read the press release here.
EWL Secretary General, Cécile Gréboval, has taken part in this video together with Mikael Gustafsson, Chair of the FEMM Committee at the European Parliament, Gustavo Herandez, Latin American Association of Development, Ska Keller and Raül Romeva, Members of the
European Parliament Greens/EFA Group, Dagmar Shumacher, Director UN Women Brussels Liasson Office and several citizens from both regions.
In the video, Cécile Gréboval states that stereotypes about the role of women fuel discrimination and violence and urges the EU Member States to ratify the Istanbul Convention as a tool for change to end violence against women.
The EWL is developing a project together with the Council of Europe to also promote the signature, ratification and implementation of the Istanbul Convention and raise awareness on the specific provisions of the Convention regarding rape and sexual violence. “Act against rape! Use the Istanbul Convention!” is the common slogan for all the public events that will be organised in 33 European countries during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence in 2013.
