First-ever international legal instrument to stop sexism adopted




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Council of Europe adopts first-ever international legal instrument to stop sexism

In response to #MeToo and other recent movements that have heightened awareness of persistent sexism in society, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers adopted a recommendation on preventing and combating sexism.It includes the first ever internationally agreed definition of sexism, as well as a comprehensive list of measures to address sexism in a wide range of areas, from advertising and media, to employment, the justice sector, education, culture and sport.

Recognising that sexism is a manifestation of “historically unequal power relations” between women and men, leading to discrimination and preventing the full advancement of women in society, the Recommendation asks member states to step up their fight against sexism in all areas of life.

New Factsheet on migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls

The Gender Equality Division of the Council of Europe has produced a new Factsheet on protecting the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls. The publication, as part of the implementation of the 2018-2023 Gender Equality Strategy,provides an analysis of the discrimination and violence that migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls face. It stresses the need for gender-sensitive policies and measures in countries of origin and destination.

"Women's rights at the crossroads"

A Council of Europe conference in Strasbourg brought together high-level participants from across the globe in May 2019 to highlight the work and activities of the “Platform of Violence against Women experts”.
The Platform develops links between UN and regional independent monitoring mechanisms to ensure that national laws against such violence are adopted and respected in practice.

15th meeting of the Gender Equality Commission of the Council of Europe, 22-24 May 2019

The Gender Equality Commission (GEC) held its 15th meeting in Strasbourg on 22-24 May 2019. Exchanges of views were held with decision-makers and representatives of different bodies of the Council of Europe and of other organisations.The GEC discussed how to promote and implement the recently adopted Committee of Ministers recommendation on preventing and combating sexism in the member states. Thematic debates also took place on: women, peace and security (UN Security Council Resolution 1325); and the gender equality backlash. A fair showcased the different cooperation projects implemented by the Gender Equality Division in the member states.

Violence against women – co-operation activities of the Council of Europe

Call for tenders
Call for tenders for international consultancy services in the areas of gender equality and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
Deadline : 19.08.2019

Mapping of support services for victims of violence against women
The Council of Europe has developed a methodology and tools to chart the various support services available for women who are victims of the different forms of violence covered by the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. Read more

Georgia
In the framework of the project ‘’Preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Georgia”, the Council of Europe is piloting a methodology and tools for mapping support services for victims of violence against women. Read more

Armenia
The new project on preventing and combating violence against women launched in Armenia aims to increase the knowledge and skills of legal professional, police officers, social workers and others dealing with cases of violence against women and domestic violence. The project will also support mainstreaming a gender equality perspective in schools. Read more

Bosnia and Herzegovina
In the context of the project "Raising BiH Institutional Capacity to Prevent and Combat Violence against Women and Domestic Violence", the Council of Europe produced a report on "Administrative Data Collection on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in line with Istanbul Convention Standards”. Read more

Russian Federation
The project “Co-operation on the implementation of the Russian Federation National Action Strategy for Women (2017–2022)” was launched. It aims at enhancing knowledge about the standards related to the prevention of violence against women and at fostering women’s public and political participation. Read more

See all cooperations projects ›

Agenda

17-19 September
“#METOO - Moving forward” Reykjavik, Iceland Conference organised under the 2019 Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, in collaboration with RIKK, the Institute for Gender, Equality and Difference at the University of Iceland.

28 september
“BEIJING +25: ACHIEVEMENTS, WEAKNESSES AND CHALLENGES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION” Congress, organised by the Spanish Institute of Women and for Equal Opportunities, Madrid, Spain.

30 September-1 October
"Europe for gender equality? taking stock taking action", Helsinki, Finland, organised by the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU.

3-4 October
Gender Summit 17, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, organised by "Portia" and by the Dutch Ministry for Education, Culture and Science.

9-10 October
Second Regional Forum Promoting Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the Western Balkans and Turkey, Tirana, Albania, organised in the framework of the UN Women project ”Implementing Norms, Changing Minds”.

29-30 October
Beijing+25 Regional Review meeting, Geneva, Switzerland, organised by UNECE.

13-15 November
16th meeting of the Gender Equality Commission, Strasbourg, France, organised by the Council of Europe Gender Equality Division.

Council of Europe, Avenue de l'Europe F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex
Tel. +33 (0)3 88 41 20 00

Also consult:
The Council of Europe gender mainstreaming website
Council of Europe website on the Istanbul Convention

www.coe.int/equality