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Eren Keskin
Human Rights Association, Turkey

I'm sure every woman had a sense of victory when that convention was signed. The Istanbul Convention opened for signatures in Istanbul on May 11, 2011 because the Council of Europe ministerial meeting was held there on that day.

Urszula Nowakowska
Women’s Rights Center, Poland

It is the first comprehensive document of this kind under international law. 

Noa Nogradi
NANE Association, Hungary

On the one hand, it frames very clearly and unequivocally any domestic and sexual violence and other forms of violence against women as gender-based violence. In addition, the Istanbul Convention makes very tangible proposals on how to deal with these forms of violence and it doesn’t just cover their punishment and the legal environment, but also the related services, protection and prevention.
To date, 33 countries have ratified the convention, but this does not necessarily mean that it will always be so. We are now seeing a trend that shows that even those States that have joined, might withdraw from the Convention over time. 

Eren Keskin
Human Rights Association, Turkey

Unfortunately, the Republic of Turkey announced its withdrawal from the Convention with a signature from the President.

Urszula Nowakowska
Women’s Rights Center, Poland

I think that Turkey's withdrawal from the Convention will be a point of reference for those countries that think similarly or will want to take similar steps. 

Noa Nogradi
NANE Association, Hungary

The current government said quite clearly that as long as they are in power, this convention will not be ratified in Hungary. 

Marta Chumalo
Women’s Perspectives, Ukraine

We [in Ukraine] quite often hear the argument that we do not need to ratify the Istanbul Convention because we have good national legislation. But I can say our national legislation is still far from perfect. 

Eren Keskin
Human Rights Association, Turkey

Violence against women increased drastically during the pandemic because, unfortunately, the place where women faced the most intense violence was their home.

Urszula Nowakowska
Women’s Rights Center, Poland

Our system of institutional assistance such as police or prosecutor's office is so hostile that many women don't report violence to these institutions. 

Marta Chumalo
Women’s Perspectives, Ukraine

When we ratify the Istanbul Convention, we are putting the needs of the victim first. This is all so important, because many of the women who have gotten help from our organization,will have a better chance at a safe life. 

Urszula Nowakowska
Women’s Rights Center, Poland

If [Poland] denounces the Convention on preventing violence against women and domestic violence, it would be a signal that this is not an important issue for us. I think we need to demonstrate, write to MPs, show up, educate the public and this is what we try to do as NGOs, too. 

Eren Keskin
Human Rights Association, Turkey

To me, the only solution is to be vocal. Everyone has to raise their voice against violence against women wherever they are. 

#IstanbulConventionSavesLives

(Berlin) – Council of Europe member states should reinforce efforts to combat violence against women by swiftly ratifying and carrying out a landmark regional convention on women’s rights, Human Rights Watch said today.

Human Rights Watch released two videos today that explain the convention and highlight its importance. Governments should take urgent steps to counter misinformation about the convention and to fight dangerous myths and discriminatory stereotypes that undermine work to curb violence against women.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed violence against women as one of the most far-reaching and persistent rights abuses, and a daily threat to the lives and health of women and girls around the world,” said Hillary Margolis, senior women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “At this decisive moment, Council of Europe members should demonstrate they are serious about prioritizing the safety and well-being of all women and girls by committing to and carrying out the Istanbul Convention.”

May 11, 2021 is the tenth anniversary of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, known as the Istanbul Convention, which opened for signature in Istanbul, Turkey in 2011. The convention establishes robust, legally binding standards for governments to prevent violence against all women and girls, support survivors, and hold abusers to account. Some governments have withdrawn or threatened to withdraw from the convention and others have refused to ratify it despite soaring reports of domestic violence during Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Thirty-three Council of Europe countries have now ratified the Istanbul Convention, which came into force in 2014, and twelve more have signed but not yet ratified.

People gathered in Istanbul in March 2021 to protest Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, a treaty designed to safeguard women from gender-based violence.  © 2021 Osman Sadi Temizel/SOPA Images/Sipa USA


Thirty-four countries had ratified, but Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made an unprecedented decision in March to withdraw from the convention, drawing widespread criticism domestically and internationally. Erdoğan’s decision is a setback for women’s rights in the country and poses dangerous risks for the region, Human Rights Watch said. Turkish authorities frequently fail to protect women from abuse and femicide rates remain persistently high.

The Istanbul Convention is notably inclusive and comprehensive, Human Rights Watch said. It mandates protections from forms of violence that are often not yet incorporated into national legislation, such as stalking, sexual harassment, and forced marriage, and requires protections for all victims of violence, regardless of age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, immigration status, or other characteristics.


A key benefit of the convention is that it requires governments to remedy gaps in domestic law and policy protections for particular groups, including migrants with insecure immigration status, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

Despite being hailed as a landmark treaty by women’s rights defenders across the region, the convention has faced unprecedented backlash in a number of countries, often due to its definition of gender as a social construct, as well as its explicit inclusion of LGBT people and migrants. Conservative politicians and groups have erroneously claimed the convention threatens “traditional” families, promotes homosexuality and so-called “gender ideology,” and corrodes “national values.”  

Some governments claim that national legislation provides adequate protection from and accountability for violence against women. However, many survivors continue to face stigma, dismissive attitudes from authorities, and social pressure to remain silent. Weak police and judicial response often compound obstacles to justice and contribute to impunity for abusers. Local women’s rights groups say they provide most services for survivors, including shelter, mental health care, and legal assistance, often with little government support.

“Nongovernment organizations are trying ... to provide as much help as possible [to survivors of violence], but obviously they ... do not have enough human or material resources to fill the gap in the institutional system,” said Noa W. Nogradi, a women’s rights activist affiliated with the and Women for Women Together Against Violence Association (NANE) and Society against Patriarchy (Patent) in Hungary. “We often hear that [the national hotline] does not refer those who want to escape [abuse] to further organizations unless they can prove immediate danger to life. So as long as your husband is simply beating you on a regular basis, but he is not stabbing you right now, this doesn’t help.”

Poland’s Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro announced in July 2020 that he would pursue withdrawal from the convention, and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki referred the convention to the politically influenced Constitutional Tribunal for review due to its definition of “gender.” The ruling Law and Justice Party used the same Constitutional Tribunal to bypass proper parliamentary procedures in eliminating legal grounds for abortion in October.

“Keeping the convention as a document of binding international law in Poland is extremely important for us [because] of the standards that are included there,” said Urszula Nowakowska of the Women’s Rights Center in Warsaw. “[They] are our reference point, something that we can strive for.”

Hungary’s parliament, where the ruling party Fidesz has a two-thirds majority, blocked the convention’s ratification in May 2020 and Slovakia’s parliament has blocked ratification several times, most recently in February 2020. Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court ruled in 2018 that the convention’s use of “gender” makes it unconstitutional.

Countries such as Croatia have ratified the convention despite significant opposition from right-wing groups. Still others have committed to ratification but are lagging, such as Ukraine, which signed the convention in 2011, and the United Kingdom, which signed in 2012. Azerbaijan and Russia are the only two Council of Europe member states that have not signed the convention.

Women’s rights defenders say the Istanbul Convention is crucial to ensure comprehensive and much-needed legal and policy reforms as well as resources for their implementation.

“[I]t is ... abundantly clear that the Istanbul Convention will motivate the state to respond to victims,” said Marta Chumalo of Ukraine’s Women’s Perspectives Centre. “The ratification of the Istanbul Convention would be such a big moment for me and my work ... because I understand that many of the women who have gotten help from our organization, who now live in shelters administered by our organization, who are represented by our organization in the courts – they will have a better chance at a safe life.”

Efforts to comply with the convention have spurred positive steps, such as new or strengthened legislation. Several countries have established help lines and bolstered services for survivors. Others have criminalized additional forms of violence such as stalking, forced marriage, and female genital mutilation, or amended legislation to base definitions of sexual violence on lack of wilful consent.

“The convention was a huge source of emotional strength for women,” said Eren Keskin, co-chair of the Human Rights Association in Turkey. “Withdrawing from this convention is to say, ‘I will do whatever I want to you.’”

Keskin said that people should not abandon hope that Turkey and other countries will commit to the Istanbul Convention and its standards: “I believe that the women's movement will bring this back and [Turkey’s] signature will be on that convention again.... The only solution is to be vocal: everyone has to raise their voice against violence against women wherever they are.”

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