Strasbourg, 07.05.2009 – At a meeting in Istanbul on Thursday 14 May, the Equality Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will discuss the report by John Austin (United Kingdom, SOC) on the urgent need for action on so-called “honour crimes”, which sets out specific legislative, preventive and victim-protection measures for dealing with this violation of women’s fundamental rights. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that up to 5,000 people a year fall victim to “honour” killings. In Istanbul, at least one person a week is killed on honour grounds, according to a recent report by the human rights directorate of the office of the Turkish Prime Minister, which puts the number of victims in Turkey between 2003 and 2007 at 1,100.
On the same day, the committee is due to adopt the report by Miet Smet (Belgium, EPP/CD) on sexual violence against women in armed conflict and will hold an exchange of views on gender equality policy in Turkey in the presence of Nimet Cubukcu, Turkish Minister of Education.
On Friday 15 May, PACE will hold from 9 am to 4.30 pm a meeting of the Network of Contact Parliamentarians involved in combating violence against women, in the presence, in particular, of Selma Aliye Kavaf, Turkish State Minister for Women and Family Affairs, and Yakin Ertürk, United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women. The discussions will cover the preparation of a future Council of Europe convention and European parliaments’ contribution to the campaign by the United Nations Secretary General.
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Two press conferences are foreseen at the Sofa Hotel:
-Thursday 14 May at 1 pm with the PACE rapporteur on “honour crimes”, John Austin
-Friday 15 May at 11.30 am with the Turkish State Minister for Women and Family Affairs, Selma Aliye Kavaf, and José Mendes Bota, Vice-Chair of the PACE Equality Committee
The committee’s two meetings will be open to the press and will be held at the Hotel Sofa, Tesvikiye Caddesi No. 41, Nisantasi – Sisli, Istanbul.
