Finland adopted Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence
Press release 105/2015
17.4.2015
The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) will enter into force on 1 August 2015 in Finland.
The Istanbul Convention is the first European human rights convention on women. The purposes of the Convention are to prevent and eliminate violence against women and domestic violence, provide protection of all victims of such violence, and prosecute the perpetrators of violence. The Convention also aims to contribute to the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and and promote substantive equality between women and men.
The Istanbul Convention examines violence against women and domestic violence from the viewpoint of human rights. The implementation of the Convention's objectives requires extensive, comprehensive and coordinated intersectoral action plans. The purpose of the Convention is also to provide support and assistance to organisations and law enforcement agencies to effectively co‐operate in order to adopt an integrated approach to eliminating violence against women and domestic violence.
In order to ensure effective implementation of its provisions by the Parties, the Convention establishes a specific monitoring mechanism. Country visits will be conducted to the Parties under the monitoring mechanism framework. The Convention aims to involve national parliaments in the monitoring process. The Convention also obliges the Parties to coordinate national measures to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence. The Government will set up a coordination body to meet this obligation.
Additional information: Mia Spolander, Legal Officer, tel. +358 295 351 176