II SÉRIE-D — NÚMERO 2

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The Istanbul Convention adds value to its standards as it establishes a strong monitoring mechanism, which

should become operational starting from March 2015.

This mechanism will include two bodies:

- the GREVIO, Group of experts on action against violence against women and domestic violence, made

up of 10 to 15 members with a four year mandate;

- and the Committee of the Parties, composed of representatives of the State Parties to the Convention.

GREVIO members will be people competent in the fields of human rights, gender equality and violence

against women. They will have to be not only competent, but also independent in the exercise of their functions.

Parliaments will also be involved in monitoring the implementation of the Convention. Monitoring will be

based on reports submitted by the State parties, but also on information provided by the parliaments.

This involvement of parliamentarians is twofold: at national level, parliaments will participate in monitoring

the measures taken by the State parties to implement the Convention; at a European level, the Parliamentary

Assembly of the Council of Europe will be invited to regularly take stock of the Convention. It will have the

opportunity to raise concerns, indicate shortcomings, draw attention to the need to turn specific provisions of

the Convention into reality.

This is another innovative element of this landmark convention. And it’s good news not only for us

parliamentarians, but for all citizens. In fact, it is in the best interests of everybody that elected representatives

be allowed to give their contribution to the very important task of monitoring the implementation of the

Convention.

How to amplify impact

As the next speakers will explain in detail, some months ago, the Agency for Fundamental Rights published

the most comprehensive survey on violence against women ever carried out in the European Union. 42.000

women were personally interviewed. The survey indicates that:

- 33% of women where physically or sexually aggressed at least once in a lifetime, and 28% of them since

the age of 15, and 22% of them have experienced this kind of violence from their partner,

- 7 per cent have experienced physical violence in the course of the 12 months before the survey. This

means 13 MILLION WOMEN in total;

- 5% of women declares having been raped;

- 20% of women declares having been victims of stalking;

- 43% of women were victims of psychological violence;

And, as if this were not disturbing enough, set against these alarming figures, there is A VERY LOW

CONVICTION RATE.

But, what is more frightening, is that only 1/3 of the victims at the hands of their partners have denounced

the violence they suffered, and only ¼ of the victims at the hands of nom partners did it.

This means that the statistics we know up to now, are useless. Reality is much worst then we thought!

Victims’ awareness

If we want the Istanbul Convention to have a real impact on the lives of women, one of the main challenges

is to create the conditions for victims to realise what is happening to them and its gravity.

As I said, the great majority of women who are victims of violence do not report it to the police. Many of

them do not even inform their friends or support structures.

All too often violence against women is not acknowledged as a human rights violation, even by its victims.

Some women feel that they are partly responsible for it, excuse it, justify it, FORGIVE it.