Equal Opportunities and Family Minister Elena Bonetti shared a joint statement together with ministers from 16 European states supporting the “Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence,” better known as the Istanbul Convention, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of its signing, which began on May 11, 2011.
The Istanbul Convention is a milestone in the fight against gender-based violence, for the first time recognized as a human rights violation. It is, moreover, the first legally binding European treaty in this area. It includes a wide-ranging set of measures to prevent violence, protect its victims and prosecute perpetrators, becoming a legal model for many governments to look to when developing their own legislation on the issue.
The proposal to support the Convention comes at a time when the Convention is under increasing attack. Indeed, the recent decision by the Turkish government on March 19, 2021, to withdraw from the Convention is compounded by worrying opposition from some EU governments and members of parliament.
The Convention, the supporting countries emphasize, is a key legal safeguard for the protection of women, and its value must be strongly and proactively reaffirmed at a time when the social and economic fallout of the pandemic threatens women in particular, who are most at risk, both in terms of job loss as well as in the home, where domestic violence has increased during the lockdown and due to movement restrictions it has become much more difficult for women to seek help.
Italy and the other 15 European states (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden) that shared the declaration not only call on Turkey to revoke the decision it made a few months ago but also pledge to ensure the full implementation and enforcement of the Convention and to work together to protect the fundamental values guaranteed by the Istanbul Convention.
Publication date: May 11, 2021
