Parliamentary Assembly

Draft resolution

1The Parliamentary Assembly condemns unreservedly all forms of violence against women and reiterates that this violence is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between women and men and cannot be brought to an end unless there is a fundamental change of mindsets.

2In its Resolution 2093 (2016) “Recent attacks against women: the need for honest reporting and a comprehensive response”, the Assembly acknowledged that violence in crowds represents another dimension of violence against women. In this connection, the Assembly notes with concern the magnitude of the phenomenon of sexual violence and harassment of women in public space. This phenomenon is universal and can affect all women, while the perpetrators of this violence come from all social categories and all cultures and are of all ages.

3Although this violence takes place in public, sometimes in front of dozens of people, women often find themselves facing their attackers alone because witnesses fail to act. This widespread indifference only increases the victims’ feeling of insecurity and helplessness. Most do not dare to lodge a complaint for fear of not being understood or of the incident being trivialised. The Assembly deplores this tacit approval of sexual violence and harassment of women in public space, which contributes to perpetuating the attackers’ impunity.

4The feeling of fear and insecurity in public space as well as in public transport has a psychological impact on victims and affects the daily lives of women. They end up adapting their behaviour, including by adopting avoidance strategies or even withdrawing from public space. Moreover, the layout of public space favours men, either because it gives priority to structures and facilities reserved for their use or because it is not safe enough for women.

5The Assembly welcomes the various awareness campaigns aimed at preventing and combating sexual violence and the harassment of women in public space. They play a key role in raising public awareness and could put an end to witnesses’ apathy to this violence. The media also have an important responsibility to cover the facts objectively by focusing on the violence and its impact on the victims instead of on the behaviour of the women subjected to that violence or on the actual or presumed origins of their attackers. The media can also be effective means of publicising awareness campaigns.

6The Assembly is convinced that men have a positive role to play in preventing and combating sexual violence and the harassment of women in public space. As fathers, friends, decision makers, journalists, public officials and political and religious leaders, they can publicly condemn violence by other men, challenge the values and social norms that perpetuate discrimination and promote ideas that emphasise non-violence and gender equality.

7In the light of these considerations, the Assembly calls on Council of Europe member and observer States to:

7.1sign and ratify without delay, if they have not yet done so, the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS No. 210, “Istanbul Convention”) and to ensure its full implementation, which presupposes the inclusion of sexual violence and harassment in public space in national criminal codes;

7.2put an end to impunity by prosecuting perpetrators of sexual violence and harassment in public space;

7.3conduct inquiries into sexual violence and the harassment of women in public space in order to gain a better understanding of the magnitude of the phenomenon and initiate action that may help eliminate the taboos surrounding this issue;

7.4launch and support awareness-raising campaigns on the need to prevent and combat sexual violence and harassment in public space, including campaigns that call on witnesses of violence to react and intervene, and campaigns that specifically target men;

7.5implement specific preventive measures, especially by developing school sex- and relationship-education programmes and by providing support for education staff responsible for delivering them, with the aim of informing children about gender equality, gender stereotypes, the impact of sexual violence on victims and the notion of consent;

7.6carry out preventive action in facilities accommodating refugees and asylum seekers, thus enabling discussions to take place on the equality values and social codes prevailing in their new environment;

7.7launch a dialogue with the media on their responsibility for providing objective information on sexual violence and harassment in public space and encourage them to give prominence to awareness campaigns and to associations working to combat violence against women;

7.8adopt and vigorously implement a zero-tolerance policy towards violence against women in public space, by ensuring the visible presence in sufficient numbers of police officers who have been educated and trained to help victims of violence at major events, and by regulating and controlling the consumption of drugs and alcohol at events with a high risk of disturbances and violence;

7.9design so-called welcoming towns and cities by taking into account gender dimension in urban planning and in public transport so as to ensure the security and well-being of everyone.

8The Assembly urges parliamentarians, including those belonging to parliaments that have partner for democracy status, to condemn all forms of violence perpetrated against women, especially sexual violence and harassment in public space, and to support and actively contribute to efforts to raise awareness.