5 | - Número: 019 | 23 de Março de 2013

and Men of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and surprised myself watching a room plenty of women discussing the FIFA World Championshipon Germany.
Actually, they were discussing a campaign of the civil society against trafficking of women for forced prostitution at the doors of the stadiums where the matches would take place. I have made a speech about it, and my female colleagues enjoyed so much that never stopped supporting me, up to now. The following day, in the plenary session, I have made a strong speech, accusing FIFA and Mr. Blatter for being accomplices of the saint trinity: football, sex and beer! Those sentences produced an impact on the media, the following day. And that was the beginning of a nice adhesion to the cause of women’s rights.
I also must say that combating violence against women and domestic violence is a commitment I carry at the local, national and international level. A commitment made when I realised that more could be done to combat violence against women and that politicians could contribute to this fight.
Combining “more” and “could be” meant that I would do more.
I grew up and am still living in Portugal, a country where there is as much violence against women as elsewhere, in rural and urban areas, within and outside families.
I have come to realise that violence against women is the most widespread human rights violations, affecting women in every country. Every one of us here has in his/her closer or larger circle a victim of violence or an abuser. We may not know about it. But this does not mean it does not exist.
We could all be one day witnesses of violence.
However, only a few men are engaged in preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, they do not realise they could bring a significant contribution. I felt that as a man from a Southern European country, I was not the typical and expected voice against violence against women. I was not expected and this could make my voice stronger and better heard.
Somebody already asked me what I have found most difficult when engaged in the cause. And I had to say that I found understanding the phenomenon of violence against women difficult. I had to grasp why the legal system was failing to address this human rights violation. I have tried to understand what could make victims of violence stay with the perpetrator and learnt that violence against women and domestic violence start with seduction, not fear.
The memory of those happy times is what can make victims decide to stay. Often, women are not safe in the place where they should be the safest, at home. Too often, they decide to stay and believe the acts of violence will not repeat themselves. Far too often, staying means that they will lose their life.
I have also realised that there could be no gender equality if a part of the population lived in fear. We have to make clear that freedom from violence is a precondition to equality. Combating violence against women means combating for full equality.
I must confess that the actions I am most proud of to end this scourge was, with other parliamentarians, to have called for the drafting of a Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women, which could become one of the most powerful instruments to combat this plight. This call materialised in action, with the creation of the Ad Hoc Committee on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in 2008, tasked with the preparation of a Convention. After two years of work, to which I had the opportunity to participate, the Convention opened for signature on 11 May 2011 in Istanbul.
The Istanbul Convention is the most comprehensive international legal instrument to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence. I would like to insist on the fact that the Istanbul Convention does not have a limited geographic scope, it is also open to non-member states of the Council of Europe. This Convention can have a universal application and contribute to save millions of lives. The Convention has so far been signed by 28 countries. I am proud to inform you that Portugal was the first country in the European Union to ratify it, following ratifications by Turkey and Albania. It will only enter into force after 10 ratifications. 7 are still missing and I sincerely hope that very soon non-member states of the Council of Europe will also become parties to the Convention.
With a view to enhance efforts for the promotion of the Convention, the Committee on Equality and NonDiscrimination agreed to the creation of a mandate of general rapporteur on violence against women. I was appointed last Spring with the task of raising awareness about the Convention, promoting its ratification and