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10. Conclusions: if not in 2013, when?

59. Unfortunately, 2013 may not be the year in which violence against women is eradicated. But all the

conditions are there for 2013 to be the year in which the world makes an unprecedented leap forward in the

eradication of violence against women.

60. For Europe, despite the lingering shadow of the economic crisis and the constraints it places on our

budgets, 2013 can also be the year in which the Istanbul Convention comes into force. I hope that the Turkish

authorities will be able to host the ceremony to mark this important event.

61. The Istanbul Convention has often been referred to as “the gold standard” because of the high legal and

policy standards it requires of the States Parties and because it is a yardstick for any legal and policy

framework in the area of violence against women. But for me this convention is worth more than gold: it can

save millions of lives and change the mindsets of millions of people.

62. Whether 2013 will bring these results greatly depends on us parliamentarians, on the political weight we

want to attach to combating violence against women, on our efforts to pass legislation and introduce effective

policies and the pressure we can bring to bear on our governments.

63. The Council of Europe should lend its support to this fight, as it has the expertise, the authority and the

credibility to work hand in hand with its member States and help them translate political commitments into

tangible facts.

Appendix 1 –Activities of the Parliamentary Network “Women free from Violence”

Network meetings

The Network organised a series of exchanges of views/hearings on themes related to violence against

women to actively promote the signature and ratification of the Istanbul Convention:

25 January 2012: Zero tolerance for so-called “honour crimes”, Strasbourg

25 April 2012: Police response to women victims of violence, Strasbourg

28 June 2012: Marital rape, Strasbourg

18 September 2012: Conference on “Legislators to make freedom from violence a reality”, Tirana

4 October 2012: A strategy to campaign for the Istanbul Convention, Strasbourg

23 January 2013: Refugee women and the Istanbul Convention, Strasbourg

24 April 2013: Prostitution and trafficking, Strasbourg

26 June 2013: Women, violence and art, Strasbourg

16 September 2013: The economic dimensions of violence against women, Madrid

2 October 2013: Violence against women: does the rehabilitation of perpetrators work?, Strasbourg

National parliamentary events

Network members organised events on the Istanbul Convention in their national parliaments to enhance

knowledge of the convention among parliamentarians and smooth out the ratification process:

Sarajevo, 21 November 2012 – followed by the approval of the ratification by the Parliament of Bosnia and

Herzegovina (23 July 2013)

Rome, 22 November 2012 – followed by the ratification of the Istanbul Convention by Italy on 10 September

2013

Brussels, 30 November 2012

Lisbon, 3 December 2012 – followed by the ratification of the Istanbul Convention by Portugal on 5 February

2013

Baku, 7 May 2013