It is an important international instrument for the elimination of violence against women and domestic violence. The official name of the Istanbul Convention is the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence.
The Convention recognises that violence against women is gender-based and highlights the importance of historically unequal power relations between women and men. Gender-based violence is defined as violence perpetrated against a woman because she is a woman, or which is disproportionately experienced by women.
The main objectives of the Convention are:
- to protect women from all forms of violence and to prevent, suppress, eliminate, and prosecute violence against women and domestic violence;
- to contribute to the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and to the promotion of substantive equality between women and men and the empowerment of women;
- to develop a comprehensive framework, policies, and measures to protect and assist all victims of violence against women and domestic violence;
- to promote international cooperation for the elimination of violence against women and domestic violence;
- to provide support and assistance to organisations and law enforcement agencies to work effectively together to adopt an integrated approach to the elimination of violence against women and domestic violence.
While the Convention focuses primarily on the protection of women from violence, ratifying countries are encouraged to extend its application to all persons who experience or are at risk of domestic violence, including men, children, and older individuals. This recognises that men are also subject to certain types of violence covered by the Istanbul Convention, albeit to a lesser extent.
Benefits of ratifying the Istanbul Convention
The Convention emphasises that violence against women and domestic violence can no longer be a private matter and that states have an obligation to prevent violence, protect victims, and punish perpetrators.
The Istanbul Convention obliges ratifying countries to develop and ensure effective, comprehensive, and coordinated policies covering all measures aimed at preventing all forms of violence. By ratifying the Convention, countries also commit themselves to allocate adequate financial and human resources to combating and preventing violence.
Governments of ratifying countries commit to amend laws, introduce policies, and allocate resources to ensure that violence against women and domestic violence is not tolerated.
In addition to being an important international instrument and legal obligation, the Convention sends a clear political signal to society that violence against women and domestic violence is unacceptable.
Monitoring and assistance
The Convention provides for a monitoring mechanism to evaluate the implementation of its provisions. This monitoring is carried out by the Group of independent Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) and the Committee of the Parties, which is composed of the official representatives of the States Parties to the Convention. Their conclusions and recommendations help to ensure that states comply with the Convention.
GREVIO evaluates individual countries on the basis of country reports and additional information. Parties to the Convention must first complete a GREVIO questionnaire. GREVIO makes a comprehensive assessment of the state of implementation of the Convention on the basis of information received from the State and shadow reports from NGOs or national human rights institutions. Monitoring is based on dialogue between the monitoring body and the various local partners.
The Istanbul Convention also provides for a special urgent inquiry procedure. If GREVIO concludes that a situation requires immediate attention, it can initiate an inquiry procedure and request the State to submit an urgent special report. GREVIO can also make recommendations that address issues of common concern to all countries.
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Lithuania signed the Istanbul Convention in 2013, but it has not yet entered into force in our country since the Convention has not been ratified. By the beginning of 2024, 38 out of 46 Council of Europe members had ratified the Istanbul Convention.
