International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we call on Member States and the EU to ratify the Istanbul Convention, a comprehensive legal instrument that can protect and support women survivors of physical, psychological and sexual violence, female genital mutilation, sexual harassment and rape, stalking, forced marriage, forced abortion and forced sterilization.

At a time when 1 in 3 women experience physical and/or sexual violence and at least 500,000 women and girls live with the lifelong consequences of FGM, it is vital for the EU and Member States to step and act to end violence against women.

We have joined forces with more than 25 European civil society networks to call on EU decision makers to act in order to ensure that the EU signs and concludes the Istanbul Convention in 2017, in the most meaningful way and within the broadest scope of EU competence as possible.

Read the factsheet by the European Coalition to end violence against women and girls.