The EU’s accession to the international convention for the protection of women from violence “is one of the main priorities of this commission”, said EU commissioner for equality Helena Dalli on Thursday in Strasbourg.
“The Istanbul Convention is a comprehensive and strong legal instrument to prevent and combat gender-based violence and domestic violence,” added Dalli. This Council of Europe Convention, which has existed since 2011, provides for measures to combat violence against women as well as gender equality and the abolition of discriminatory regulations in the signatory states.
Both the EU and the individual member states have to ratify the convention. As such, the EU signed the agreement in 2017, but ratification of its accession is stalling. Six member countries, including Latvia, Bulgaria and Hungary, have not yet ratified the convention. Poland signed in 2015 but announced that it would leave.
“The Commission continues to fully support the EU’s rapid accession to the agreement,” stressed Dalli. Since it is still unclear whether and when this will succeed, the Brussels authority is planning a directive to combat violence against women “at the beginning of 2022”, as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in her State of the Union address in September.
According to the European Parliament, a third of all women in the EU experienced physical or sexual violence. Around 50 women die every week as a result of domestic violence.
Source From: Nachrichten
