Doc. 9081
4 May 2001

Domestic violence

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mrs Err and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

1. Domestic violence is a most common form of violence against women and its consequences affect many areas of the lives of victims – housing, health, education and the freedom to live their life without fear and in the way they wish. This widespread phenomenon is common to all European countries and is not limited to any particular social group or class. Domestic violence can take a number of forms such as physical assault, sexual abuse and rape, threats and intimidation and should be recognised as crime.

2. Domestic violence should not be considered as a family matter only. It is a political and public problem as it concerns the violation of human rights and requires a very serious attitude on the part of public authorities to the protection of victims and prevention of domestic violence.

3.       The Assembly recalls its Recommendation 1450 (2000) on violence against women in which it condemned all forms of violence against women as being a general violation of their rights as human beings and called the Committee of Ministers to draw up a European programme to combat violence against women.

4.       A solution to the problem of domestic violence cannot be reached only through legal or educational measures. It demands profound changes in the mentality of people and the awareness of society in order to adopt a straightforward attitude to this problem.

5. Therefore, the Assembly calls on the members states of the Council of Europe to:

–       outlaw in national legislation all forms of domestic violence and establish effective legal regulations providing for the immediate removal of the violent man from the family;

–       elaborate a national plan of action against domestic violence;

–       fund preventive work against domestic violence through national awareness-raising campaigns;

–       support the victims of domestic violence by creating women’s shelters, providing financial support to social associations and emergency services;

–       accord to the victims of domestic violence free legal counselling and assistance for starting legal proceedings and during them.

Signed : ¹

Err, Luxembourg, SOC

Cryer, United Kingdom, SOC

Holovaty, Ukraine, LDR

Jones, United Kingdom, SOC

Mikutienė, Lithuania, LDR

Shakhtakhtinskaya, Azerbaijan, EDG

Shaklein, Russia, UEL

Urbanczyk, Poland, SOC

Vermot-Mangold, Switzerland, SOC

Zwerver, Netherlands, SOC

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group