No to violence against women – 10th anniversary of Istanbul Convention
The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (‘Istanbul Convention’) is the first international legally binding instrument to combat violence against women and domestic violence. It was opened for signature on 11 May 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey, and came into force in 2014. To date, thirty-four member states of the Council of Europe (including 21 EU Member States) have ratified it, twelve have signed it – along with the European Union – and it is used as a basis for action by many countries outside Europe. Over the past 10 years, it has had a positive impact on national legislation and policies in a number of states that have ratified the Convention.
The EU celebrates the transformative power of the Istanbul Convention and is determined to continue its global efforts to put an end to gender-based violence.
EU-funded actions in Russia
While the Russian Federation is not a signatory of the Istanbul Convention, it recognises that improving the response to violence against women is necessary to reach objectives on enhancing the status of women in general.
In 2018-2020, with EU’s co-funding, the Council of Europe and the Russian Federation implemented a joint project “Co-operation on the implementation of the Russian Federation National Action Strategy for Women”. It focused on developing knowledge and skills in two areas: preventing social disadvantage of women and violence against women, and fostering women’s participation in public and political life.
One of many deliverables of this joint project is the “Research on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, including in situations of social disadvantage, in the Russian Federation.” In addition to analysis of the Russian framework and compilation of good practices, this study measured efforts to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence in the Russian Federation against international standards and good practices. It also suggested targeted areas for action, in the form of recommendations. Learn more about the project. A second phase of this project is planned for 2021.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU funds, channelled through the NGO Doctors to Children, ensured timely response to escalation of domestic violence with provision of emergency support services for women and girls survivors of violence in Russia. The NGO provided 9,422 online counselling sessions for not only women and girls, but also men and boys. Furthermore, 254 women and girls received a combination of services such as emergency accommodation, food and hygiene kits, transportation for women and legal assistance. Learn more about the action.
In small towns and rural areas, women, victims of domestic or gender-based violence, have less access or face barriers in getting access to such services as shelter, physical and mental health professionals, and law enforcement. At the same time, providing assistance for these women is challenging due to lack of coordinated services in areas of their residency. Launched in January 2020, the EU-funded action “Enhancement of response to domestic violence in the Russian Federation through an innovative model targeted at supporting women in rural and small town areas” aims to make a difference. The action is implemented by Information and Methodology Centre “Anna”, public organization assisting women and children in crises. The action will enhance professional capacity of regional and local organizations through trainings that will expand their knowledge of gender sensitivity, domestic violence, multi-agency response, and methods of awareness rising work with local communities. Learn more about the action (p. 22).
The above projects are just a few examples of EU-funded actions implemented in Russia as part of EU’s global efforts to end gender-based violence.
See also
Gender Action Plan III: towards a gender-equal world
EU-UN Spotlight Initiative - Leaving no one behind
