22/04/2026 Session | Women free from violence
PACE is calling for universal ratification and full implementation of the Istanbul Convention, nearly 12 years after the landmark treaty to protect women against domestic violence entered into force, warning that organised disinformation campaigns and insufficient resources are undermining its impact.
In the adopted resolution based on a report by Zita Gurmai (Hungary, SOC), PACE warns that "violence against women and domestic violence occur in all territories and across all socio-economic groups and sectors in society" and that "perpetrators often go unpunished, as reporting and conviction rates are low." EU data from 2024 indicate that although 1 in 3 women experience physical and/or sexual violence, just 1 in 8 report the incident to the police, a gap the Assembly links to “stigma, negative attitudes and victim-blaming,” as well as “a lack of trust in the justice system.”
On the situation of the most vulnerable women, the Assembly stressed that “measures to prevent and combat this violence and to protect victims should be designed and applied without discrimination on any ground and adopting an intersectional approach, as not all women survivors of violence have equal access to support services and justice.”
On technology-facilitated violence, the resolution notes that “online violence against women is increasingly prevalent and harmful, and many forms are created and facilitated by the rapid development of technology, including artificial intelligence”, calling on member states to hold online platforms and technology companies accountable.
PACE called on the seven Council of Europe member states that have not yet ratified the Convention — Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Lithuania and the Slovak Republic — to do so without delay, and expressed regret at Türkiye's 2021 withdrawal, which has deprived “women and girls of the high standards of the convention”.
The debate was opened by Ana Redondo, Minister for Equality of Spain, who warned that “there is no democracy without equality between women and men — it is impossible.” She called for stronger international voices in the face of growing threats, stating: "we are in a world that is more violent, more insecure, more unjust. That is why we need voices to rise up, like the Council of Europe, to truly defend equality and human dignity.”
