09/10/2007 Equality and Non-Discrimination
Strasbourg, 09.10.2007 - At the halfway stage of the Council of Europe Campaign to Combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is to hold several seminars for members of the parliaments of outlying countries so as to encourage national parliaments to step up their activities. One regional group, comprising members of the Finnish, Swedish and Lithuanian parliaments, as well as some representatives of NGOs, is to meet in the parliament building in Helsinki (Arkadiankatu 3) on 10 October.
Participants will examine the measures adopted by the PACE at its latest session, on the basis of the report written by José Mendes Bota (Portugal, EPP/CD), such as making domestic violence against women a criminal offence, guaranteeing access to the courts, setting up safe emergency shelters (ideally one per 7,000 population) and allocating sufficient financial resources for the law to be enforced.
During these personal exchanges of experience, they will endeavour to identify any loopholes in the law and the needs of their respective parliaments with a view to improving national legislation.
Further regional seminars are scheduled to take place in Vienna on 16 October, in Sofia on 28 and 29 November and in Paris in December.
Contact person: PACE Secretariat: Lamine Diallo - tel: +33 6 18 94 64 18