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Promoting the Istanbul Convention and improving its implementation: building on lessons learnt

Doc. 16372: compendium of written amendments | Doc. 16372 | 21/04/2026 | Final version

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Amendment 1 Amendment 2

Caption: AdoptedRejectedWithdrawnNo electronic votes

ADraft Resolution

1Women continue to be disproportionately affected by gender-based violence, whether it is physical, sexual, psychological, or economic, online and offline. Such violence constitutes a serious violation of human rights and a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between women and men, based on the idea of the inferiority of women and leading to exerting control and domination over them.
2Violence against women and domestic violence occur in all territories and across all socio-economic groups and sectors in society. Their prevalence remains very high while perpetrators often go unpunished, as reporting and conviction rates are low. European Union data from 2024 indicate that one in three women experience physical and/or sexual violence, while just 1 in eight report the incident to the police.
3Women victims of violence continue to face stigma, negative attitudes and victim-blaming. Many of them need a long time to address feelings of shame and fear, which leads to non-reporting or reporting many years after the violence took place. There is also a lack of awareness among victims about their rights and how to access support services, as well as a lack of trust in the justice system.
4Women in all their diversity are subjected to gender-based violence regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, sex characteristics, migration status, disability, origin and any other characteristic. All 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.
5Online violence against women is increasingly prevalent and harmful, and many forms are created and facilitated by the rapid development of technology, including artificial intelligence. The Parliamentary Assembly welcomes General Recommendation No. 1 on the digital dimension of violence against women, adopted by the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) in 2021, and Recommendation CM/Rec(2026)2 of the Committee of Ministers to member States of the Council of Europe on accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, which provide valuable guidance for member States.
6The Assembly actively supported the preparation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS No. 210, “Istanbul Convention”) and its entry into force, in August 2014. This landmark treaty sets the highest standards in a comprehensive approach by focusing on prevention of violence against women, protection of victims, prosecution of perpetrators and integrated policies, always placing the rights of the victim at the centre of all actions.
7The Assembly’s Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence and its successive general rapporteurs on violence against women have played a crucial role in promoting the Istanbul Convention. The Network also provides a forum for sharing experiences and practical tools to prevent and combat violence against women.
8The Assembly has followed up the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in its Resolution 2289 (2019) “The Istanbul Convention on violence against women: achievements and challenges”, and Resolution 2479 (2023) “The Istanbul Convention: progress and challenges”, and reiterates the recommendations made in those texts.
9The Assembly underlines the need to engage with men and boys to prevent and combat violence against women, and calls for the implementation of its Resolution 2480 (2023) “The role and responsibility of men and boys in stopping gender-based violence against women and girls”. This is critical, given the rising levels of sexual violence affecting and perpetrated by young people.
10Nearly 12 years after it entered into force, with 38 ratifications by member States and the accession of the European Union in 2023, the Istanbul Convention has demonstrated its positive impact on the ground. The Assembly calls for renewed efforts, political will and adequate resources to counter the growing attacks on the Convention, which are being carried out through organised disinformation.
11The Assembly regrets the decision by Türkiye to leave the Istanbul Convention in 2021, thereby depriving women and girls of the high standards of the convention, in a context where civil society monitoring has continued to report a high number of suspicious female deaths and femicides in the country.

21 April 2026

Tabled by Ms Meryem GÖKA, Ms Pelin YILIK, Mr Abdurrahman BABACAN, Mr Mustafa CANBEY, Mr Murat Cahid CINGI

In the draft resolution, replace paragraph 11 with the following paragraph:

"​The Assembly takes note of the decision by Türkiye to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention in 2021. It reiterates that the prevention of and fight against violence against women and domestic violence remain key priorities for all member States. In this regard, the Assembly acknowledges that Türkiye has established a comprehensive national legal framework, notably Law No. 6284 on the Protection of the Family and Prevention of Violence Against Women, which provides protection and support mechanisms for victims. The Assembly further encourages continued efforts by all member States to effectively implement their legal frameworks and to strengthen co-operation with relevant stakeholders."

Explanatory note

Paragraph 11 disproportionately singles out Türkiye without acknowledging its existing legal and institutional framework to combat violence against women. The new paragraph introduces a fairer approach, while maintaining the Assembly’s commitment to combating violence against women.

12The Assembly underlines the need to meet relevant targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, including target 5.2 (eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls), target 5.3 (eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage, and female genital mutilation), and target 16.3 (promote the rule of law and ensure equal access to justice for all).
13In line with its decision to hold regular discussions on the Istanbul Convention, the Assembly renews its call for the universal ratification and full implementation of the convention, highlighting its positive impact and identifying issues where progress is needed to ensure the right of all women and girls to a life free from violence.
14The Assembly calls on the member and observer States of the Council of Europe, and States whose parliament enjoys observer or partner for democracy status with the Assembly:
14.1with regard to supporting the Istanbul Convention and its implementation, to:
14.1.1promote its ratification by the Council of Europe member States that are not yet Parties (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Lithuania and the Slovak Republic, as well as a renewed ratification by Türkiye), and beyond;
14.1.2counter disinformation campaigns and organised attacks using false narratives and misconceptions about the convention;
14.1.3allocate sufficient funding for the implementation of integrated policies and measures to prevent and combat all forms of violence covered by the convention, ensuring co-ordination among relevant bodies and stakeholders throughout their territory;
14.1.4apply a gender perspective in the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and in the evaluation of the impact of measures taken;
14.1.5co-operate with, involve and support the work of civil society organisations defending women’s rights and providing support and specialised services to women victims of violence;
14.1.6take legal and policy measures to prevent and combat the forms of violence against women created and facilitated by technology companies, online platforms and internet intermediaries, including by artificial intelligence;
14.1.7improve the collection and publication of data on violence against women, disaggregated by sex, age, type of violence, relationship of the victim to the perpetrator and geographical location, to evaluate progress and inform policy making;
14.2with regard to awareness raising and other prevention measures, to:
14.2.1invest in primary prevention to address the root causes of all forms of violence against women, including the digital dimension of such violence, through education and awareness raising on gender equality and non-stereotyped roles, and age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education;
14.2.2take measures to raise awareness of vicarious violence, whereby children are instrumentalised with the aim of causing psychological trauma to women by harming, or even murdering, their children;
14.2.3set up programmes for perpetrators of domestic violence and sexual violence to help them adopt non-violent behaviours in order to prevent re-offending, in line with international best practices;
14.3with regard to protecting and providing support to all women victims of violence, in all their diversity, to:
14.3.1ensure the effective implementation of protection orders and their availability for all women victims of violence, irrespective of related legal proceedings;
14.3.2take measures to address the needs of women victims of violence exposed to multiple and intersectional discrimination, including women with disabilities; Roma and Traveller women; migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women; lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ) women; women with addictions; women in prostitution; older women; women in rural areas; and ensuring their access to protection, support and redress;
14.3.3address the different types of barriers to reporting violence against women and domestic violence in different settings, including those preventing women with disabilities from reporting violence and accessing support services;
14.3.4establish rape crisis and sexual violence referral centres in sufficient numbers and with adequate geographical spread, to provide a holistic support to women victims that includes medical attention, short- and long-term psychological support and legal counselling;
14.3.5take measures to ensure that decisions on children’s custody and visitation rights in cases of parental separation take into account the context of domestic violence, and that mediation, especially in civil procedures, is neither imposed nor perceived as obligatory;
14.3.6ensure the safety of women victims of violence and their children through rigorous and repeated risk assessment and risk management procedures and measures, kept under regular review;
14.4with regard to ensuring effective investigation and prosecution of perpetrators of violence against women, to:
14.4.1provide compulsory initial and in-service training for judges, prosecutors and other legal professionals involved in cases of violence against women, including to prevent secondary victimisation;
14.4.2promote the use online courses of the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme on violence against women and domestic violence, and the new module on technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, and their integration in the training curricula of relevant justice professionals (law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, lawyers);
14.4.3adopt legal definitions of sexual violence, including rape, based on the lack of freely given consent and following the “Only yes means yes” approach, and implement the actions called for in Resolution ... (2026) “Paving the way for a culture of consent”;

21 April 2026

Tabled by Mr Pablo HISPÁN, Mr Georgios STAMATIS, Ms Albana VOKSHI, Ms Belén HOYO, Mr Gonzalo ROBLES, Ms Carmen LEYTE, Ms Andrea EDER-GITSCHTHALER, Mr Markus WIECHEL, Ms Larysa BILOZIR

In the draft resolution, at the end of paragraph 14.4.3, insert the following words:

"while expressing its regret regarding the consequences of the “only yes means yes” law in Spain that has led to the reduction of 1 233 sentences and the release of 126 prisoners incarcerated for rape or sexual assault. The Assembly further calls on Spain to conduct a review of this situation and to launch an inquiry which captures the perspectives of female victims of rape and sexual assault concerning the reduction of their attackers' sentences as a result of the serious technical deficiencies in its “only yes means yes” legislation;"

14.4.4address the minimisation of domestic violence claims in parental separation cases based on ill-founded concepts such as “parental alienation”, which should not be legitimised nor given legal recognition;
14.4.5conduct research on the reasons for the low rates of prosecution and conviction in cases of violence against women and domestic violence.
15The Assembly calls on all parliaments of Council of Europe member and observer States, as well as on the parliaments of States that enjoy observer or partner for democracy status with the Assembly, to:
15.1actively promote the Istanbul Convention, including by raising awareness of the achievements and added value of the convention, with a view to dispelling misconceptions and disinformation based on false narratives;
15.2organise parliamentary inquiries and hearings to give visibility to, and discuss, the findings and recommendations included in GREVIO’s evaluation reports;
15.3participate in the monitoring procedure assessing the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, in accordance with its Article 70;
15.4carry out periodical assessments and reviews of national legislation and measures to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence and propose legislative and policy changes to align them with the high standards of the Istanbul Convention, and allocate appropriate budgets to ensure their adequate implementation on the ground;
15.5promote and use the forthcoming new HELP course on violence against women and domestic violence specifically adapted for, and addressed to, parliamentarians;
15.6continue to participate in, and support, the work of the Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence.