International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

“Istanbul Convention Saves Lives”

The European Commission highlighted the role of the Istanbul Convention in the prevention of violence against women with an online seminar and workshop held on Tuesday, 7 December 2021 to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Prof. Dr. Feride Acar, the keynote speaker at the event, is an important expert in the field who has been working on women's rights and gender equality arena at the global and regional level. Prof. Dr. Acar has taken part in the negotiations, drafting and/or monitoring the implementation of several fundamental international instruments namely International Convention on the Prevention of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Beijing Platform for Action, CEDAW Optional Protocol, and the Istanbul Convention. She is a former Chairperson and current member of the United Nations CEDAW Committee.

In his opening remarks Mr. Michael Docherty, Head of Section at the European Union Programme Support Office, noted that one in three women in the world is subjected to physical and/or sexual violence, and highlighted that violence against women and girls is still one of the most widespread and devastating human rights violations across the globe. Docherty also stated that the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 confirms that the European Commission will do all it can to prevent and combat gender-based violence, support and protect victims, and hold perpetrators accountable.

During her presentation Prof. Dr. Feride Acar emphasised that violence against women touches every society on this globe. It happens everywhere: at home, at work, in schools and universities, on the street, and online. Around half of women have experienced verbal, physical or online sexual harassment. She also stated that the Istanbul Convention is a human rights convention, which is a prescription that is affected by the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights that above all gives the obligation to the states and the civil societies. She also expressed that the problems in societies are not due to a lack of knowledge, but to the inability to implement what we know.

The programme, which was contributed by more than 50 participants run for more than 4 hours. Following Prof. Dr. Acar's detailed presentation on the Istanbul Convention, the online event continued with workshops examining "Protection and Prevention Mechanisms" and "Investigation and Judicial Processes" moderated by Gender Expert Dr. Ömür Yilmaz and Lawyer Aslı Murat.  The topics discussed in the workshops were shared with Prof. Dr. Feride Acar and all other participants and the program ended after the overall evaluations were made.

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence – the ‘Istanbul Convention’ – is the benchmark for international standards in this field and offers the most comprehensive legal framework to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence. The Istanbul Convention asks for preventive action to be taken, but also to support and protect women that have been exposed to violence or are at risk of such violence. Ensuring accountability through investigation and prosecution is another important pillar of the Convention. The EU signed the Convention in 2017, signalling the intention to become a party to this most advanced human rights agreement on protecting women from violence.