28/01/2016 Session
The Parliamentary Assembly has condemned the recent violence against women in European cities – highlighting its concern at the new dimension of “violence within crowds” and calling on the media to report objectively and truthfully on such events, without stigmatising a part of the population.
“[The media] should not, in order to ensure political correctness, hide the truth from the general public,” the Assembly declared in a resolution, based on a report by Jonas Gunnarsson (Sweden, SOC). “Partial, late or biased reporting on crimes can feed conspiracy theories, fuel hatred against a part of the population and contribute to mistrust in the authorities and the media.”
The parliamentarians demanded that perpatrators be prosecuted, called for an investigation into the attacks, and urged Council of Europe member states to fully implement the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention – which sets out national laws for combating violence against women and domestic violence.
Noting that the majority of perpetrators of the recent attacks were allegedly of foreign origin, according to witness accounts, the Assembly said that violence against women was unfortunately pervasive and widespread, and should not be “instrumentalised” for other purposes.