“Dear members,

The law recently passed by the Spanish Congress known as "only yes means yes" is excellent news for the fight against violence against women.

This law, which redefines what is considered rape by calling for the expression of clear and free consent before sexual intercourse, marks an important milestone in the recognition of sexual crimes and the prosecution of their perpetrators.

I warmly welcome this development and can only hope that other States will follow suit and pass laws that better protect victims of violence.

I invite you to advocate in your own parliaments to ensure that crucial improvements in legislation like these are also implemented, in line with the recommendations of the Istanbul Convention.”

Statement by Ms Zita Gurmai (Hungary, SOC), General Rapporteur on Violence against women and coordinator of the Network

11 October – Hearing – Preventing and combating violence against women with disabilities

On 11 October, the Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence will hold a joint hearing with the Sub-Committee on Disability and Multiple and Intersectional Discrimination on the prevention and combat against violence against women with disabilities.

Guest speakers will include Ms Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences for the United Nations, Ms Helen Portal, Advocacy and Policy Officer at Inclusion Europe, Ms Elisa Rojas, lawyer and Ms Claire Desaint, Vice-President of “Women to speak, women to act” Association (Des femmes pour le dire des femmes pour agir).

11 October 2022 – 2pm – 3:30pm (CEST)

The event will be broadcast live on Facebook.

1 July – Webinar – Finding solutions for marital captivity

On 1 July, the Network held a webinar on “Finding solutions for marital captivity”. Organisations such as Femmes for Freedom, Emancipator, as well as representatives from the GREVIO and academia participated in the event. The findings of the webinar provided significant input into the report under preparation by Ms Margreet de Boer (Netherlands, SOC).

Motion for a resolution on Finding solutions for marital captivity

Watch the recording of the event on YouTube (English only).

22 June – Hearing – Developing mechanisms and concrete means to detect crimes of sexual violence of armed conflict and support the rehabilitation of survivors

On 22 June, the Network held a joint hearing with the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination on “Developing mechanisms and concrete means to detect crimes of sexual violence of armed conflict and support the rehabilitation of survivors”. The event saw the participation of Ms Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Kateryna Pavlichenko, Deputy Minister of Interior of Ukraine, and Ms Adrijana Hanušić Bećirović, Senior Legal Adviser at TRIAL International (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina). The findings of the hearing have been used in the report being prepared by Ms Petra Bayr (Austria, SOC) on conflict-related sexual violence.

Motion for a resolution on Sexual violence and conflict

The event is now available to watch on YouTube in English and French.

27 April – Hearing – The role of men and boys in stopping gender-based violence

On 27 April, the Network held a joint hearing with the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination on “The role of men and boys in stopping gender-based violence”. Ms Giovanna Lauro, PhD, Vice President of Programs & Research at Promundo-US, Ms Teresa Schweiger, Austrian member and Co-Coordinator of MenEngage Europe and Mr Ivan Jablonka, Professor of History at University Sorbonne Paris Nord, were able to share insights with members attending. The findings of the hearing fed into the report under preparation by Ms Petra Stienen (Netherlands, ALDE).

Motion for a resolution on The role of men and boys in stopping gender-based violence

The recording of the event is available on YouTube in English and French.

• During the meeting of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination in Stockholm, on 12 May 2022, Ms Tarja Filatov, member of Finland in the Committee, presented the newly available Finnish and Swedish versions of the revised Handbook for parliamentarians. The Parliament of Finland, together with the Finnish Human Rights Centre have financed and coordinated the translation in both languages of this important practical tool which aims to enhance parliamentarians’ capacities regarding the implementation and monitoring of the Istanbul Convention at the national level.
• The Handbook will soon be available in Ukrainian, Spanish, Lithuanian and Czech. It already exists in English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Dutch, Swedish and Finnish on the Network’s website.
• If the Handbook doesn’t yet exist in your language, proposals for translation are welcome, and assistance in managing the publication can be provided. Our aim is to enable this indispensable practical tool to be widely used in Europe and beyond. Please contact [email protected] for any enquiries.

• After its ratification on 18th and 21st of July by Ukraine and the United Kingdom respectively, the Istanbul Convention will enter into force in both countries on 1 November 2022, bringing to 37 the number of States that have ratified the convention.
• 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 Romania and Germany.