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Human Rights Commissioner Strässer on the entry into force of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence
Christoph Strässer, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, issued the following statement after the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (also known as the Istanbul Convention) entered into force today (1 August):
I am glad that the Istanbul Convention officially entered into force today. The convention is a milestone on the road towards better protecting women and children from violence, particularly domestic violence. The Council of Europe has once again proven itself a pioneer in the creation of legally binding international standards, especially on human rights. Germany has signed the Istanbul Convention, and the German Government is working on ratifying it as soon as may be. One important thing is that a monitoring mechanism for the convention has been set up.
Background information:
The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence was opened for signature in Istanbul in 2011. Fourteen of the Council of Europe’s 47 member states had ratified the convention by the time it entered into force today.