11 DE OUTUBRO DE 2014

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At a meeting of the Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence, in October 2013, we heard this

directly from a former perpetrator of domestic violence, who told us his story: he humiliated and abused his

partner, psychologically and physically. He tried to kill her. But she always protected him, denying what was

happening even when the police came round to their home after having been called by neighbours.

It took this woman ten years to file a complaint. By doing this, she certainly saved her life. And, to quote his

own words, she also saved the life of the perpetrator, who decided to face the problem and undertook voluntary

rehabilitation.

Trust

For victims to report what is happening to them, we must ensure that they can trust the authorities, in

particular the police and the judicial system. We must ensure that they will not be subjected to secondary

victimisation, to public humiliation, to lengthy judicial proceedings, to injustice.

I was astonished when, during a hearing on the ‘mediatisation of rape’ organised by the Network, a social

worker said: “if someone I know well such as a friend or a relative was raped, I would advise her not to report it

to the police because what happens next is a continuation of suffering and humiliation”.

I was shocked as a legislator but sympathetic as a human being. It takes an awful lot of courage and

resilience to face criminal proceedings of this kind, in which all too often the role of victims and perpetrators are

reversed and women have to prove – either in court or to society - that they did not provoke violence, that they

physically opposed it, that they did not give consent. No wonder the number of cases that fall out of the system

is so high.

Knowledge

The FRA study also highlights lack of knowledge:

19 percent of women in the EU are not aware of any organisation or victim support services,

41 percent are not aware of specific laws or political initiatives to protect women,

and only 50 percent have seen or heard of campaigns on violence against women.

Raising awareness: the Network

The role of Parliamentarians in countering violence against women has a wide scope, and certainly

demands more action in the area of awareness-raising.

To this end, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has set up a special structure: the

Parliamentary Network “Women Free from Violence”. This body was established to participate in the Council of

Europe campaign on Violence against Women, in 2006-2008. At the end of the Campaign, we realized that we

should go ahead. Our new objective became promoting the entry into force of the Istanbul Convention. What do

we do?

Network members work as Ambassadors of the Istanbul Convention in their national parliaments, by asking

questions to relevant Ministers, introducing bills and legislative initiatives, speeding up signature and

ratification.

They share information on legislation and policies in their respective countries.

The Network has published a huge amount of information material. Just consider that our Handbook for

Parliamentarians on the Istanbul Convention, which can actually also be very useful for NGOs and other

stakeholders, is now available in 16 languages! For that, we have to thank the voluntary contributions of a

number of parliaments and other donors.

We have a Facebook page which is a precious source of information. I invite you all to “like” it and become

followers.

I can tell you that this work has been instrumental to catalyse political support for the Istanbul Convention,

and that without the lobbying, pressure and networking of our parliamentarians nowadays we would not have

achieved the entry into force of our precious gold standard.