COE Parliamentary Assembly

(asked on 30th January 2023) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the debate entitled The Istanbul Convention, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 25 January 2023.


Answered by
Sarah Dines Portrait
Sarah Dines
This question was answered on 7th February 2023

The UK ratified the Istanbul Convention on 21 July 2022, demonstrating our commitment to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG). The Convention came into force in the UK on 1 November 2022.

The Government recognises the crucial work of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the involvement of all members of the UK delegation. We know of the important PACE debate which took place on the Istanbul Convention on 25 January, during which there was a discussion, amongst other things, about how we need societal attitudes to change and the importance of educating everyone, in particular men and boys, that VAWG is unacceptable. We recognise this and that is why in March 2022, we launched a national communications campaign, ‘Enough’, to target and challenge the harmful behaviours that exist within society, educate young people about healthy relationships and consent, and ensure victims can recognise abuse and receive support. The second phase of the campaign launched in October 2022 and focuses on the range of safe ways a bystander can safely intervene if they witness VAWG.

Our Tackling VAWG Strategy and complementary Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan aim to transform the response to these crimes with actions to prevent abuse, support victims and pursue perpetrators, as well as to ensure the right systems are in place to tackle them.

Reticulating Splines