Preamble

The member States of the Council of Europe and the other signatories hereto,

Recalling the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ETS No.

5, 1950) and its Protocols, the European Social Charter (ETS No. 35, 1961, revised in 1996, ETS No.

163), the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (CETS No.

197, 2005) and the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual

Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (CETS No. 201, 2007);

Recallingthe following recommendations of the Committee of Ministers to member States of the

Council of Europe: Recommendation Rec(2002)5 on the protection of women against violence,

Recommendation CM/Rec(2007)17 on gender equality standards and mechanisms,

Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)10 on the role of women and men in conflict prevention and

resolution and in peace building, and other relevant recommendations;

Taking accountof the growing body of case law of the European Court of Human Rights which sets

important standards in the field of violence against women;

Having regardto the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), the International

Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), the United Nations Convention on the

Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (“CEDAW”, 1979) and its Optional

Protocol (1999) as well as General Recommendation No. 19 of the CEDAW Committee on violence

against women, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and its Optional

Protocols (2000) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

(2006);

Having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (2002);

Recalling the basic principles of international humanitarian law, and especially the Geneva

Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949) and the

Additional Protocols I and II (1977) thereto;

Condemning all forms of violence against women and domestic violence;

Recognising that the realisation of de jure and de facto equality between women and men is a key

element in the prevention of violence against women;

Recognisingthat violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations

between women and men, which have led to domination over, and discrimination against, women

by men and to the prevention of the full advancement of women;

Recognising the structural nature of violence against women as gender-based violence, and that

violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a

subordinate position compared with men;

Recognising,with grave concern, that women and girls are often exposed to serious forms of

violence such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, forced marriage, crimes committed in

the name of so-called “honour” and genital mutilation, which constitute a serious violation of the

human rights of women and girls and a major obstacle to the achievement of equality between

women and men;

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