CoE chief: Women have long experienced barriers and discrimination when they seek redress from justice system
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention – the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence – the Council of Europe is holding an international conference on 7-8 October 2021 to promote full ratification and implementation of the treaty’s standards, including measures that ensure women’s access to justice.
The conference assesses challenges towards treaty ratification by Eastern Partnership countries, in the midst of the global pandemic, the CoE official website reported.
“Equal access to justice is a fundamental right – a legal right – enshrined in both the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter. It is not merely something that is desirable; rather, it is something that every Council of Europe member state is obliged to ensure. Yet gaps persist. Women have long experienced specific barriers and discrimination when they seek redress from the justice system,” remarked Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić in opening the conference with Helena Dalli, EU Equality Commissioner.
Cooperation with the EU is helping to improve the situation, the Secretary General stressed: “This provides Eastern Partnership countries with tailor made support that helps them bring their legislation and practice into line with European standards.”
The full speech delivered by Marija Pejčinović Burić is available here.
The conference is organised under the framework of the regional project “Women’s Access to Justice: delivering on the Istanbul Convention and other European gender equality standards”, as funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in their Partnership for Good Governance II (PGGII).
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