[Brussels, 16 April, 2018] The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Croatia become the 29th and 30th European countries to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, the Istanbul Convention. The European Women’s Lobby (EWL) welcomes this significant step and also supports the progress made in the Greek parliament, which has passed the necessary changes within its penal code in order to fully ratify the Convention within the coming weeks.
Several countries are witnessing some opposition to the Istanbul Convention, led by misleading campaigns and misinformation about the purpose of the Convention. The diligent work of our members in FYR Macedonia, Croatia and Greece in supporting ratification at national level has been invaluable.
The Istanbul Convention is the first international treaty to tackling violence against women and provides the essential framework needed to make a real impact on the lives of women and girls across Europe. The Convention is a key tool to combat all forms of violence against women and to prevent violence, prosecute perpetrators and protect victims.
The EWL and our partners in the European Coalition to end violence against women call for the ratification and implementation of the Istanbul Convention by the European Union and all Member states.
All women and girls deserve a life free from violence, fear and a right to safety
You can find out more about the reality of violence against women via our factsheet, Disrupting the Continuum of Violence against Women and Girls, and you can support us by signing the Rise Up Against Violence petition here
