What is the Istanbul Convention?
The Istanbul Convention is an agreement concluded by countries that are members of the Council of Europe. The agreement recognizes violence against women as a human rights violation and a form of discrimination. The Council of Europe is not the same as the EU. The Council was founded in 1949 and has 47 members.
The Istanbul Convention is intended as a legal framework to ensure that women in all countries that have ratified the agreement are equally protected against violence. The agreement states, among other things, which forms of violence must be prosecuted. This concerns, for example, psychological violence, stalking, physical violence, sexual violence, forced marriage, forced abortion, genital mutilation and honor-related violence. Countries must also take measures to prevent violence against women.
45 countries and the European Union have signed the treaty. However, not every signatory has ratified the treaty. A country does not have to implement the treaty until it has been ratified. Conservative Eastern European countries in particular have decided not to ratify. Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary, among others, have not ratified the convention.
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