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Recommendation 2030 (2013) Final version
Violence against women in Europe
1. Recalling its Resolution 1963 (2013) on violence
against women in Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly reiterates that
violence against women is a major human rights violation and an
offence to human dignity which does not spare any Council of Europe
member State.
2. The positive response given by the majority of Council of
Europe member States to the United Nations COMMIT initiative to
end violence against women, and their active involvement in the
57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, are signs
of their political resolve to tackle this scourge.
3. The Council of Europe should strive to assist its member States
in this endeavour, with special emphasis on data collection, reinforcement
of the legal and policy framework and co-operation.
4. The Council of Europe has set itself up as a pioneer in standard
setting in this area through its Convention on Preventing and Combating
Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS No. 210, “Istanbul
Convention”). The Assembly looks forward to the prompt entry into
force of this convention, which will have a tangible impact on the
lives of millions of people.
5. The Assembly welcomes the role for national parliaments and
the Assembly itself in monitoring the implementation of the convention,
as set out in its Article 70, as an increased safeguard for the
independence of the process.
6. In the light of the above, the Assembly recommends that the
Committee of Ministers:
6.1. explore
the feasibility for the Council of Europe to play a role in the
area of data collection by:
6.1.1. drawing up common guidelines
on data collection, to be recommended to all member States, in order
to facilitate harmonisation and comparability;
6.1.2. co-operating with the European Union, in particular its
Fundamental Rights Agency, with a view to conducting a survey on
violence against women for all the Council of Europe member States;
6.2. contribute to strengthening national legal and policy
frameworks in the area of violence against women, in particular
by:
6.2.1. providing legal advice and expertise on draft
legislation;
6.2.2. supporting the organisation of training on the issue of
violence against women for police officers, judges, prosecutors
and other legal professionals;
6.2.3. reinforcing knowledge of the case law of the European
Court of Human Rights in the area of violence against women and
domestic violence;
6.2.4. stepping up project and co-operation work in the area
of violence against women, for member and observer States of the
Council of Europe and countries whose parliaments hold partner for
democracy status with the Assembly.
7. As regards the Istanbul Convention, the Assembly recommends
that the Committee of Ministers:
7.1. step
up activities to further promote the signature and ratification
of (or accession to) the Istanbul Convention, including by non-member
States of the Council of Europe and by the European Union;
7.2. ensure that the Assembly is represented in the Group of
Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence
(GREVIO) as an observer and is invited to attend the meetings of
the Committee of the Parties.