FAWCO
Istanbul Convention
A Primer for Action
BY SUE ENGLAND , MUNICH IWC , AND KAREN CASTELLON , AWC BERLIN AND HUMAN RIGHTS TEAM CHAIR
The cause of our time : ending violence against women .
The convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence is called the Istanbul Convention . It was agreed to in 2010 and came into force in 2014 .
Quick facts about the Istanbul Convention : it is the most comprehensive international human rights treaty on violence against women and domestic violence .
It is a legally binding instrument that explicitly defines Violence Against Women ( VAW ) as a human rights violation and a form of gender-based discrimination , with a strong emphasis on prevention , criminalizing the perpetrators , and offering survivors ’ rights .
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in early 2020 that he was concerned about “ setbacks to women ’ s rights , alarming levels of femicide , attacks on women ’ s rights defenders , and the persistence of laws and policies that perpetuate submission and exclusion .” Violence against women and girls , he said , “ is the most widespread human rights violation .”
Violence against women is now called the “ shadow pandemic .” It is time for “ peace in the home ,” says the United Nations .
Here is an easy-to-read primer on the Istanbul Convention ( literally — there are three illustrated sentences per page ).
6 AWCH News & Events