“Violence against women happens everywhere, every day. From the street to the home, from the playground and sports fields to the computer, small acts of aggression gain momentum to become dangerous weapons pointed at girls and women with negative and sometimes dramatic consequences. One in three women have felt that violence directed towards them.

(…)

This year I call more strongly than ever on men and boys to play their part in ensuring that violence against women is eliminated from our societies".

• Statement by Ms Zita Gurmai (Hungary, SOC), General Rapporteur on Violence against women and coordinator of the Network, on the eve of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Read the full statement.

13 December – Parliamentary Conference – Mobilising political forces to prevent and combat violence against women

On 13 December, the Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence will be holding a parliamentary conference on mobilising political support for the Istanbul Convention, the landmark Council of Europe treaty setting out standards to combat domestic violence.

The event will bring parliamentarians together with experts from the Council of Europe and the UN, as well as representatives of NGOs promoting women’s rights and supporting victims, to discuss how to counter recent attacks on the Convention, dispel misconceptions about it and promote its ratification.

Three panels will cover supporting implementation of the Convention, political action to counter attacks on it, and promoting co-operation between politicians and civil society to combat violence against women.

13 December 2021 – 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (CET)

Information and programme

The event will be broadcast live on Facebook in English and via KUDO in English and French (no registration required).  

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and 16 days of activism against gender-based violence

In the framework of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and during the following 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, members of the Parliamentary Assembly were active in showing their commitment to taking a stand against gender-based violence and all forms of discrimination against women and girls.

Members of the Network and of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly published “duo” postcards with their partners in combating gender-based violence, sharing a quote on social media.

Members and partners were:

• Committee Chair Petra Bayr with Marcella Pirrone (WAVE) ●
• General Rapporteur Zita Gurmai with Réka Sáfrány (EWL) ●
• Rapporteur Christophe Lacroix with Fem and Law (Belgium) ●
• PACE Secretary General Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis with former PACE President Michele Nicoletti ●
• General Rapporteur on Racism and Intolerance Momodou Malcolm Jallow with Peter Lassey (White Ribbon) ●
• PACE Sub-Committee on Disability, multiple and intersectional discrimination chair Béatrice Fresko-Rolfo with Committee first Vice-Chair Petra Stienen ●
• PACE President Rik Daems with GREVIO President Iris Luarasi ●

Stay tuned on the Network’s Facebook page as well as @PACE_Equality on Twitter for our next social media campaigns and latest news on gender-based violence.

• New brochures are now available on The gender dimension of foreign policy and Towards an ambitious Council of Europe agenda for gender equality. The brochures aim to summarise key reports adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly and make them available in a format that can be put into practice quickly. For parliamentarians in particular, but also for NGOs and other relevant actors in the fight against violence against women and for gender equality, these are pragmatic and accessible working tools. Do not hesitate to consult them and share them with others!
• The Network has also produced a video on what men and boys can do to prevent and combat gender-based violence. The video is now available in English and French on PACE’s Youtube channel, and will soon be available in Italian, German and Russian. More information here.

• After its ratification on 17 June 2021, the Istanbul Convention entered into force on 1 October 2021 in Liechtenstein.
• The Council of Europe Expert Group on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) has published baseline evaluation reports on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention by Poland, San Marino and Slovenia, each containing a comprehensive analysis of the implementation of the provisions of the convention and ways to better protect women and girls from violence.
• The GREVIO has also published its General Recommendation No.1 on the digital dimension of violence against women, which outlines the problem of both gender-based violence against women committed online and facilitated by technology. Read it here.