All women victims of violence should have access to, and benefit from, a comprehensive response to their protection, support and assistance needs, focusing on their safety and human rights and based on a solid assessment of the risks they face and their specific needs, which should be addressed in a holistic way.
While progress has been achieved over the years, the number, quality, geographical spread and accessibility of support services for women victims of violence remains insufficient and their funding extremely volatile. Telephone hotlines, counselling services and shelters for victims of domestic violence have become more widely available, while they are not yet a reality in rural and remote areas. In addition, specialist support services for victims of other forms of violence against women, including sexual violence, are often insufficient.
In many member States, women’s organisations provide most – and often, the only – specialised services and assistance to women victims of violence. With the reduction of public budgets, such assistance is often under threat or lacking sustainability, while the needs of victims do not decrease.
The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS No. 210, “Istanbul Convention”) requires Parties to provide general and specialised support services to women victims of violence in a concerted and co‑ordinated manner, with the involvement of all the agencies concerned.
The Parliamentary Assembly should identify and address the main gaps in fulfilling the protection and assistance needs of women victims of violence and call for political commitment and targeted action to strengthen the support provided to them across our member States, using the Istanbul Convention – which is widely considered the “gold standard” – as a benchmark. Parliamentarians can play a critical role in ensuring that the necessary resources are allocated to supporting women victims of violence in our member States.