www.coe.int/stopviolence/assembly The network ofcontact parliamentarians getsstronger yourOn agenda the campaign website. Council of Europe campaign. The handbook is now available in languages fourteen on level. This reflects the commitment shown by the parliaments of these countries to the the «Handbook for parliamentarians» and to raise awarenessparliamentary at national and Ukraine now figure among the countries which have taken the initiative to translate Azerbaijan, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” versions linguistic new in available now is parliamentarians» for «Handbook The Highlights oftheApril 2008part-session
E-mail: [email protected] –Site: www.coe.int/stopviolence/assembly Secretariat of thePACE for Committee onEqual Opportunities Women andMen 11 June 2008: June Europe,Strasbourg,10-11 of Council 2008: May 15 Assembly, National Paris, dimension ofthe 2008: April 30 Parliament, Austrian Vienna, 17 April 2008: 15 April 2008 : 2008: April 14-18 of Europe Campaign Sub violence against women, organised by the French delegation to PACE and the PACE deBoer i.a. Maud of, participation the with violence, domestic on treaty international possible a on ities for Women and Men and Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights, of Europe Campaign (room 2) José Mendes Bota, PACE rapporteur on the and parliamentary dimension of Men the Council and Women for Opportunities Equal on Committee the Sigfússon, of J. Chairperson Steingrímur and Europe of Council the of status participatory with “parliaments united incombating domesticviolence” nearthehemicycle - Committee on Violence against Women. Tel.: +33 (0)388413517/Fax: +33(0)390 215652 exchange of views between the PACE Committee on Equal Opportun exchange of views between the grouping on gender equality of NGOs contact parliamentarians and the national parliaments, see parliaments, national the and the parliamentarians by contact out carried activities the on information further For mentarians, which Memecan (Turkey) joined the network of contact parlia contact of network the joined (Turkey) Nursuna Memecan Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary GeneraloftheCouncil-Buquicchio, ofEurope. Secretary Deputy Dina Akkelidou (Cyprus), Mirosława Nykiel (Poland) and and (Poland) Nykiel Mirosława (Cyprus), Akkelidou Dina Council ofEurope Campaign. PACE information stand and slide and PACEstand information F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex Contact today parliamentary symposium on domestic domestic on symposium parliamentary
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www.coe.int/stopviolence/assembly PACE Action Newsletter No. 2008 6–April “Stop domesticviolence againstwomen” (2006-2008) Council ofEurope Campaign against women Parliaments united incombating domesticviolence Gisela Wurm, oftheAustrian Chairperson delegationto thePACE look I forward to seeingyou in mentalities, Viennapeople’s 2008. on30April change can we together and share to lot a have we Because impetusgenerated by thiscampaign.tary We must now find effective ways of keeping up the pressure and maintaining the parliamen paign. They allspokeupandbroke thesilence! Council have, with invaluable assistance from NGOs, contributed to the success of the cam colleagues from the observer parliaments, the IPU, the European our Parliament and and the states Nordic member Europe of Council of majority vast the in Parliamentarians rights. their defend and women at directed violence against Europeforcesacross join to capacity the us gives determination political powerful that shown have We parliaments. national in taken initiatives PACE of the range broad of the issue reflects last NewsletterThis Action For the past two years, national parliaments and the PACE have joined Lluís MariadePuig, President oftheParliamentary Assembly ofdomesticviolence.who are thevictims parliamentarians invites us all to continue the struggle for all women these of commitment The rights. human of violation unacceptable network of contact parliamentarians has worked hard to combat this 2006. 27 NovemberThe on Madrid in launched campaign Europe of against violence Council the of dimension parliamentary the implement domestic and women combat to Europe throughout forces Domestic Domestic Violence. Combatagainst including Women, Violenceto Campaign Europe of iveoverparliaments years,two past the Council the have supported honour to welcome the contact parliamentarians who, in their respect Barbara Prammer, Speaker of the Austrian Parliament, and I, have the Final Conference in Vienna
Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland, “The campaign has helped to break supports the parliamentarians involved in the campaign. the silence in Europe” At the invitation of Jukka Gustafsson, Contact Parliamentarian for Finland, Mr Mendes Bota, in your capacity as PACE rapporteur, Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland, gave the opening you proposed a questionnaire to assess the parlia- address at the conference dedicated to the situation of Domestic Violence mentary dimension of the campaign. Are you satisfied against Women in Finland, on 7 April, at the Parliament of Finland, in the with the initial results? presence of prominent politicians, including Sinikka Hurskainen, Chairperson of the Finnish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised, as 37 delega Heidi Hautala, Chairperson of the Legal Affairs Committee. tions – representing 617 million Europeans – carefully filled out a long and detailed ques tionnaire. I should like to warmly thank the contact parliamentarians and national delegation Singer Axelle Red highlights role of men secretaries. I hope to have all the replies at the earliest opportunity. in fighting domestic violence In the light of the initial results, can you say whether the parliamentary dimen- “The majority of perpetrators of domestic violence are men, and sion of the Council of Europe campaign has been a success? since it is largely men who still hold positions of power in society, I would say no to begin with, as no country meets all of the minimum criteria set out in they have an important role to play in combating this crime,” my report. That shows clearly that these criteria are still not unanimously accepted, even said Belgian singer Axelle Red, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador though they should be applied universally. However, I would like to remain optimistic. involved in promoting women’s rights, introducing a Brussels Over these two years, awareness has clearly been raised. The silence has been broken, from lunch-debate on the role of men in fighting domestic violence the Atlantic to the Caucasus! Much has been done: seminars, public hearings and media organised by the Madariaga European Foundation and PACE on campaigns have been organised. The efforts made here offer grounds for satisfaction both the eve of International Women’s Day. PACE members Kent Olsson (Sweden, EPP/CD) and for national parliaments and also for the Council of Europe. Nursuna Memecan (Turkey, ALDE) and MEP Raul Romeva I Rueda, Member of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in the European Parliament, highlighted the What has the campaign’s impact been on the parliaments of the 47 member contribution of parliamentarians and their national experiences to successfully involve states? men. The Parliamentary Assembly’s efforts are far from over yet! There is much to be done in the New Family Violence Prevention Act in Slovenia coming weeks! Now is not the time to lower our guard; instead, we should capitalise on our best practices so that the maximum possible number can benefit from them. I am particu Through the impetus given by Majda Potrata, Contact Parliamentarian, larly proud that we have succeeded in involving men more closely. The campaign has also Slovenia adopted a new Family Violence Prevention Act, which came allowed us to tackle new issues such as marital rape, the concept of stalking, education and into force on 26 February 2008. Ms Potrata also organised, in co- prevention, assistance for migrant women, the necessary co-operation with NGOs and the operation with SOS Help-line and Amnesty International, an interna mobilisation of a minimum level of financial resources – as domestic violence involves costs tional conference dedicated to “Violence against Women in relation for our democracies. Many issues deserve to be looked at in greater depth. We are going to to Development Awareness”, on 7 March 2008, in the Slovenian discuss together the role which the network of contact parliamentarians may play in future. Parliament. During this conference, discussion panels were organised on domestic violence, It has demonstrated that exchanging our experience helps us to tackle the flaws in our violence against migrant women, trafficking in women and the victims’ position in the labour legislation and raise our standards. Above all, it has highlighted that the fight must go on market. as wherever women are victims, human rights are flouted.
Legal Aspects of Protection against Violence PACE action promoted at the United Nations in Family Relations: parliamentary hearing in Azerbaijan Carina Hägg, Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Violence Bahar Muradova, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan, against Women, highlighted the parliamentary dimension of Kristiina Ojuland, Deputy Speaker of the Estonian Parliament, Ali the campaign at the IPU side-event on “The role of parliaments Huseynov, Chairman of the Milli Majlis Standing Commission on in financing for gender equality” alongside the Session of the Legal Policy and State Building and Gular Ahmadova, Contact UN Committee on the Status of Women, in New York on Parliamentarian for Azerbaijan, contributed to the hearing organ 27 February 2008. Carina Hägg and Doris Stump, Contact Parliamentarian for Switzerland, ised by the parliament in Azerbaijan on 31 March 2008. A new also had the opportunity to speak to Yakin Ertürk, UN Special Rapporteur on violence bill on the prevention of domestic violence should soon be sub against women, on the occasion of the launch of the UN Campaign to End Violence mitted to the Milli Majlis. against Women (2008‑2015).