Council adopts decision about EU’s accession to Istanbul Convention

The Council approved the EU’s accession to the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention).

Violence against women is unacceptable and must end. These acts have no place in our societies. The Istanbul Convention is a landmark and a catalyst for action. Today’s decision on the EU’s accession shows our commitment to stepping up actions against gender-based violence and in support of its victims.

Paulina Brandberg, Swedish Minister for Gender Equality and Deputy Minister for Employment

Binding legal framework

The Convention creates a legal framework to protect women against violence. It covers a broad range of measures, from data collection and awareness raising to legal measures on criminalising different forms of violence against women. It includes measures for the protection of victims and the provision of support services, and addresses the gender-based violence dimension in matters of asylum and migration.

Equality between men and women

The EU’s accession to the Convention is a boost for EU efforts to realise equality between women and men. Violence against women is not only a criminal offence but also an extreme form of discrimination, entrenched in gender inequalities. At the same time, violence against women contributes to maintaining and reinforcing these inequalities.

Background and next steps

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence is the first international instrument aiming to eliminate violence against women, including girls under the age of 18.

Violence against women and girls is one of the most systemic and common human rights violations globally. One in three women has experienced physical or sexual violence, mostly perpetrated by intimate partners.

The Istanbul convention entered into force in April 2014 and was signed by the EU on 13 June 2017.

The Council and European Parliament are in the process of adopting an EU law on combatting violence against women and domestic violence. Among other things it intends to criminalise a number of offences across the EU such as non-consensual sharing of intimate images, female genital mutilation and cyber harassment.