Azernews.Az

ISTANBUL – A new Council of Europe convention to prevent and protect against domestic violence will be on the table this week during a meeting of European foreign ministers in Istanbul, PublicServiceEurope.com reported.

The treaty will be open on Wednesday to the signatures of all 47 member countries of the Council of Europe and any other willing states, after two years of preparation. It will impose civil and criminal measures to fight violence against women.

Gauri van Gulik, women's rights advocate for Human Rights Watch, called on all European governments to sign and ratify the convention as soon as possible.

She said: "From women's rights groups in Armenia to lawyers in the United Kingdom, human rights defenders throughout the region can use this convention to protect women and fight for better laws and practices in their countries."

According to the convention – which will be the first legally-binding international instrument on the subject – some 20 to 25 per cent of women in Europe are victims of physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives.

An international group of observers will monitor the implementation of the convention, which "addresses major gaps in protection of women and girls facing violence in the home," van Gulik said.

The convention will ensure that countries provide for hotlines, shelters, medical services, counselling and legal aid to women –as well as filling gaps in domestic laws and their implementation.

"Our research finds that even in countries where the law provides protection for women, those who enforce the law do not," said van Gulik. "That is why this convention asks leaders to sign up not just to principles but to actions."

At least 10 governments, of which eight must be members of the Council of Europe, have to sign the convention for it to come into force.