Deputy Foreign Minister Spyros Kouvelis will be in Istanbul on Wednesday, 11 May 2011, to sign the “Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence”. The Convention was adopted by the CoE Committee of Ministers on 7 April 2011 and will be open for signing on the margins of the 121st Meeting of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, which is being held in Istanbul.
This is the first legally binding text stipulating the forms of violence perpetrated against women and presenting a comprehensive legal framework for prevention, protection of victims and prosecution. The Convention also establishes a specific monitoring mechanism – an international team of experts – for ensuring effective implementation on the national level.
May 10, 2011