On September 12, 2017, the BaBe association called on all Croatian and European parliamentarians to vote without delay for the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the so-called Istanbul Convention).
We are happy and proud to announce that the European Parliament has voted to ratify the Istanbul Convention, which is the first legally binding instrument to prevent and combat violence against women and girls at the international level.
Members of the European Parliament welcomed the signing of the EU's accession to the Istanbul Convention on 13 June this year, adopting the Report with 489 votes. for (While 114 were against and 69 abstained.) The Istanbul Convention, under the auspices of the Council of Europe, establishes a comprehensive framework of legal and policy measures to prevent such violence, provide support to victims and punish perpetrators.
The next step in this process is the formal accession of the European Union to the Convention, which requires the adoption of a decision by the Council and the consent of the European Parliament. The Commission and the Council of Ministers, at this stage, negotiate the rules to reach an agreement on the European Union and national competences.
The European Parliament has also issued the following calls for action:
- encourage member states to speed up negotiations on the ratification and implementation of the Istanbul Convention;
- The European Parliament should be fully engaged in the process of monitoring the Istanbul Convention after EU accession;
- Member States should allocate adequate financial and human resources to prevent and combat violence against women and gender-based violence;
- appropriate training, procedures and instructions should be available for all experts who deal with victims of all forms of violence;
- it is necessary to promote changes in attitudes and behavior and shift the blame from the victim to the perpetrator;
- ask the Commission, in cooperation with the Council of Europe, to engage without delay in a constructive dialogue with the Council and the Member States in order to address the reservations, objections and concerns expressed by the Member States
- sexism and stereotypical gender roles should be combated, gender-neutral language should be promoted, and the key role of the media and advertisers should be emphasized.
The BaBe Association is very happy about this important step leading to the ratification of the Convention, and looks forward to further efforts and work for a society without violence against women and girls!
