4 | - Número: 004 | 1 de Novembro de 2014

The Istanbul Convention is the first binding instrument which explicitly recognises violence against women as a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination.

It is the first international treaty to contain a definition of gender, which refers to “the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for women and men”. This means that it is now recognized that women and men are not only biologically female or male, but that there is also a socially constructed category of gender that assigns women and men their particular roles and behaviors.
It calls on States to criminalize a variety of forms of violence which are not criminally sanctioned in all legal systems: these include female genital mutilation, forced marriage, forced abortion and forced sterilization.
It places the victims at the centre of these concerns.

One of the main assets of the Istanbul Convention is that it is based on a holistic approach – the so-called 4 Ps:

— Preventing violence — Protecting the victims — Persecuting the perpetrators — Integrated Policies

Each of these “P”s is reflected in a set of provisions, so we are not talking about words on a piece of paper: countries which are parties to the Convention commit themselves to adopting measures – for instance criminalizing the various forms of violence, as I mentioned earlier. If we want to tackle violence against women effectively, all these aspects must be addressed in a coordinated way. At the same time, the Convention calls on its Parties to involve all relevant actors in this fight. Public authorities at national, regional and local level, Law enforcement: police forces and the judiciary Civil society: NGOs are recognized by the Convention as important players, which can support public authorities and in turn should be supported adequately, both in terms of financial and human resources National human rights institutions also have a role to play

The Convention also reaches out to the media: press, radio, television, and of course social media can contribute to eradicating violence against women. They have a significant impact on mindsets, and a change of mindsets is necessary to win this fight. Going beyond the golden standard

The Istanbul Convention offers a set of golden rules that can be applied in a variety of countries. Let me underline an important point. The Convention sets high standards and some of its principles are entirely new to the legal systems of our countries. However, these standards are a minimum threshold. Nothing prevents States from going even further. On the contrary, States parties are encouraged to widen the scope of the norms and introduce even more protective measures.
Furthermore, the Istanbul Convention can be applied to all victims of domestic violence, irrespective of their gender. Women are by far the largest group of victims. But men, children and the elderly may also suffer at the hands of their family members. They may need protection as well.