II SÉRIE-D — NÚMERO 2

4

Assembleia da República, 27 de Setembro de 2014.

O Deputado do PSD, José Mendes Bota.

ANEXO

Nordic Seminar on “best practises” in combatting violence against women

Grand Hotel Reykjavik, September 25, 2014

Mr Mendes Bota’s presentation on The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating

violence against women and domestic violence: Implementation and effect.

‘Beyond words: a vision of society’

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me some introductory notes.

I became deeply involved on the issue of gender equality and combating violence against women in the

year 2006, at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, by the occasion of the great campaign

against the trafficking of women to be forced to prostitution at the doors of the stadiums, during the FIFA World

Football Championship in Germany.

I entered in a meeting of the Committee on Equality of Opportunities Between Women and Men. There were

no more than women. And they were discussing about football, matches and footballers that agreed to appear

together on this campaign. 80.000 women were supposed to be trafficked for sexual exploitation coming from

Asia, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe, at the hands of Mafiosi organizations.

I spoke against it, that day, and the following day on the Plenary of the Parliamentary Assembly. I have

accused Mr. Blatter and the Fifa to be accomplices to this outrageous operation, symbolizing the Saint Trinity of

Sex, Football and Beer. Women applauded vibrantly, European media quoted my words the following day.

I have never stopped since then. Vice-chair and then chair of the Committee on Equality, General

Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Political Coordinator of the Parliamentary Network “Women Free

From Violence”, author of the Resolution that, in 2008, proposed to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of

Europe the drafting and approval of a Convention on the issue.

I have participated on the drafting of the Convention, made the final report, and have been promoting the

signature and ratification of this binding international instrument all along the last three years. Finally, last 1st of

August, it entered into force, 14 ratifications already on the list, and 22 more are on the way. My mission is

accomplished!

This became my faith: the need to achieve gender equality and to end violence against women in all its

forms.

This has become my main mission as a politician and a legislator, as well as a man. All too often, men are

just spectators of women’s battle to achieve gender equality. This is wrong. The battle of gender equality can

be won only if men and women fight it together; furthermore, this is a battle for the benefit of all, not only

women but also men].

Thank you very much for inviting me to this seminar to speak about the Council of Europe Convention on

preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. In short: the Istanbul Convention.

This is my first visit to Iceland, and I hope it contributes to sensibilize the Icelandic authorities in order to

give the step of ratification, three years after having subscribed this Convention.

The many ways to describe the Istanbul Convention

As I have said, this Convention was opened for signature in May 2011 and entered into force on 1 August

this year. I believe that, despite its young age, the Istanbul Convention has already set a record: no other treaty

has been defined in so many ways and praised for so many reasons.

The most common words to describe it are: unique, unprecedented, innovative, comprehensive, far-

reaching, landmark.