The Council of the EU approved the Istanbul Convention

The Council of the EU has announced that it has adopted a decision on the accession of the EU to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention).

The Convention provides for the collection of data and raising awareness of acts of violence against women and girls, as well as the criminalization of various similar acts. The EU's accession to the convention is part of efforts to achieve equality between women and men, the announcement states. Violence against women is not only a crime, but also an extreme form of discrimination rooted in gender inequality. Violence against women contributes to the maintenance and increase of these inequalities, adds the Council of the EU.

The Convention is the first international instrument aimed at eliminating violence against women, including girls under the age of 18. This violence is one of the most common human rights violations in the world. Every third woman has been a victim of physical or sexual violence, mostly by intimate partners, the report notes.

The Istanbul Convention entered into force in April 2014 and was signed by the EU on 13 June 2017. The Council of the EU and the European Parliament are in the process of adopting European legislation to combat violence against women and domestic violence. Sharing of intimate images without consent, female genital mutilation and online harassment are planned to be criminalized in the EU.

In May, the European Parliament voted on a decision agreeing with the Council of the EU to complete the process of ratifying the Istanbul Convention. The recommendation was approved by two separate votes with an overwhelming majority - over 450 votes from around 600 participating MEPs...