The EU Delegation committed in fighting violence against women

A Strong Council of Europe Framework: The Istanbul Convention

The Istanbul Convention, adopted in 2011, is the most comprehensive international treaty to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence. It recognises this violence as a human rights violation and a form of gender-based discrimination.

The Convention covers a wide range of acts — from physical and sexual violence to psychological abuse, stalking, sexual harassment, forced marriage, and female genital mutilation. It rests on four pillars: prevention, protection of victims, prosecution of perpetrators, and coordinated policies involving all relevant institutions.

By acceding in June 2023, with entry into force on 1 October 2023, the EU strengthened its commitment to these standards and joined a shared European framework designed to ensure safer societies, stronger support for victims, and more effective legal responses across Member States. 

The EU’s Commitment: Strong Policy Action

The EU has taken major steps forward in promoting women’s rights and addressing gender-based violence:

• The Council of the EU adopted Council Conclusions on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence: prevention, early detection and intervention, integrated within the Roadmap for Women’s Rights, which identifies “Freedom from gender-based violence” as its first principle. The Roadmap affirms that “gender equality and human rights are at the core of European values. Equality between women and men is a fundamental right and a founding value of the European Union.” 

• In May 2024, the EU adopted its first-ever EU Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence (Directive (EU) 2024/1385). This ground-breaking directive reinforces the EU’s international commitments and provides legal tools related to the protection of victims and access to justice, victim support, enhanced data collection, prevention, coordination and cooperation. 

• The European Commission’s efforts under the Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025 support the vision of a “Union of Equality”. As part of this, the Commission has advanced gender mainstreaming via the Taskforce on Equality, working to integrate gender considerations in all policy areas. This ambition extends beyond violence prevention, aiming to tackle structural inequalities in democratic representation, work, education, childcare, and more. 

16 Days of Activism Campaign 

To mark the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the EU Delegation launched a dedicated campaign featuring Ambassadors from various EU Member States, each presenting a national measure to combat violence against women. The EU Head of Delegation, Vesna KOS opened the campaign, highlighting the importance of the 2024 EU Directive as a turning point in Europe’s response to gender-based violence.

We invite everyone to follow our socials to discover the first videos and upcoming ones until 10 December, Human Rights Day.

The EU Voice at the Council of Europe

On the occasion of the 1544th Committee of Ministers of the CoE on 26 November, the EU Head of Delegation Vesna KOS delivered an EU Statement in which she reiterated the commitment of the EU and its Member States to  the prevention and elimination of all forms of sexual and gender-based violence both online and offline at the centre of its efforts. The statement reaffirmed support for the Istanbul Convention, highlighted the need for comprehensive prevention, protection of survivors, prosecution of perpetrators, data collection, and victim-centred policies. It also condemned sexual and gender-based violence in conflict situations — notably referencing ongoing conflicts such as in Ukraine. 

Read the full statement: EU statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.