August 11, 2014

Ending domestic violence in Europe

editor:	Vanessa Ellingham

While news of wars raging far and wide have largely held the world's attention this month, a groundbreaking treaty to combat domestic violence came into force in Europe on August 1.

One in three women in the EU has experiences physical or sexual abuse, according to a study by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency looking at females over 15 years of age.

The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence is the first of its kind to specifically target domestic abuse against women in Europe.

Designed to fight what the World Health Organisation has previously called "a public health problem of epidemic proportions", the treaty covers domestic violence, as well as sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, and stalking.

Global advocate of the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch, Gauri van Gulik has praised the treaty for being "practical and modern in both the level of detail and breadth".

The treaty's short name is the Istanbul Convention, for the Turkish city where the treaty was signed. Ironically the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey recently said that women should not laugh in public, exposing the leadership's patriarchal views which are so clearly out of date.

The comment prompted a tirade of 'laughing selfies' from Turkish women as we reported on July, 31st.