9 | - Número: 025 | 4 de Fevereiro de 2012

Non-Discrimination, all contributed to combating all forms of discrimination and to promoting the advancement of women, during two decades.

Your reports on “Increasing women’s representation in politics through the electoral system”, “Feminicides” and “Sexual exploitation of children”, while all through your mandates promoting a greater and enhanced cooperation with the United Nations are more than a great legacy. You leave the Assembly today, with the report on “Advancing women’s rights worldwide”, a wide topic, but reflecting that your commitment to equality and women’s rights goes beyond the Council of Europe region. Author of douzens and douzens of reports. Her voice was heard in this plenarium for hundreds of times. As almost valuable persons, she was polemic and controversial. Grey was a colour that wasn’t a part of her palette of arguments. At this day, at this moment, we all have to say. Thank you Lydie for all you have done for this Assembly, Good luck Lydie. I wish you success and am looking forward to hearing about your activities as Mediator in Luxembourg. Thanks for all. ANEXO E

Promoting the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence Resolution 1861 (2012)1

1. Violence against women is a serious crime, a form of discrimination and a human rights violation which impairs or nullifies the enjoyment of other human rights and makes equal opportunities for women and men impossible to achieve. 2. The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (CETS No. 210) is the most far-reaching binding instrument in the world providing a comprehensive framework to prevent violence against women, protect its victims, prosecute the perpetrators and set up a wide range of measures to address this scourge in all its complexity.
3. The Parliamentary Assembly commends the convention for the strong political messages that it conveys, namely that changes in mentality should be promoted in society, with a view to eradicating prejudices which are based on the so-called “inferiority” of women or on stereotyped roles for women and men; that states have a responsibility to prevent, stop and sanction violence against women, whether it happens in the family or outside; and that violence against women can never be justified or excused on the basis of any cultural, historical or religious argument.
4. In addition, the Assembly praises the convention as a legal instrument setting high and progressive standards, particularly as regards its broad personal and material scope, its victim-centred approach, the obligation of criminalisation, effective investigation and prosecution of the forms of violence covered by the convention, and its strong, independent and innovative monitoring mechanism.
5. The Assembly is convinced that the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence can save and change the lives of millions of victims and make a tangible contribution to improving the respect of human rights and the status of women, in Europe and beyond. 6. For this to happen, however, the convention needs to be signed and ratified by a sufficient number of Council of Europe member states to enable it to enter into force; subsequently, it needs to be signed and ratified or acceded to by as many states as possible and effectively implemented.
7. While welcoming the ratification of the convention by Turkey, which symbolically took place on the eve of the International Day on the elimination of violence against women this year, the Assembly calls on the other Council of Europe member states which have signed the convention – Albania, Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Norway, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain,