GREVIO Baseline GREVIO, the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Evaluation Report Women and Domestic Violence, is an independent human rights monitoring body mandated to monitor the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Belgium against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) by the Parties. The Istanbul Convention is the most far-reaching international treaty to tackle violence against women and domestic violence. Its comprehensive set of provisions spans far-ranging preventive and protective measures as well as a number of obligations to ensure an adequate criminal justice response to such serious violations of human rights. This report contains an overall analysis of the implementation of the provisions of the Istanbul Convention. It highlights positive initiatives in preventing and combating all forms of violence against women at national level and provides suggestions and Group of Experts proposals to improve the situation of women facing such violence. on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) PREMS 106820 www.coe.int/conventionviolence ENG The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading Istanbul Convention human rights organisation. It comprises 47 member states, including all members of the European Union. www.coe.int All Council of Europe member states have signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty designed to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The European Court of Human Rights oversees the implementation of the Convention in the member states. GREVIO’s (Baseline) Evaluation Report on legislative and other measures giving effect to the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) Belgium Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) GREVIO/Inf(2020)14 Adopted by GREVIO on 26 June 2020 Published on 21 September 2020 Secretariat of the monitoring mechanism of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence Council of Europe F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex France www.coe.int/conventionviolence 3 GREVIO/Inf(2020)14 Belgium ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table of contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Executive summary ........................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 10 I. Purposes, definitions, equality and non-discrimination, general obligations .................. 11 A. General principles of the convention ................................................................................... 11 B. Scope of the convention (Article 2) ..................................................................................... 11 C. Definitions (Article 3) ............................................................................................................ 12 D. Fundamental rights, equality and non-discrimination (Article 4) ......................................... 14 1. Equality between women and men .............................................................................. 14 2. Multiple discrimination .................................................................................................. 14 E. State obligations and due diligence (Article 5) .................................................................... 16 F. Gender-sensitive policies (Article 6) .................................................................................... 16 II. Integrated policies and data collection .................................................................................. 17 A. Comprehensive and co-ordinated policies (Article 7) ......................................................... 17 B. Financial resources (Article 8) ............................................................................................. 18 C. Non-governmental organisations and civil society (Article 9) ............................................. 19 D. Co-ordinating body (Article 10) ............................................................................................ 20 E. Data collection and research (Article 11) ............................................................................ 22 1. Administrative data collection ...................................................................................... 22 2. Population-based surveys ............................................................................................ 24 3. Research ...................................................................................................................... 24 III. Prevention .................................................................................................................................. 26 A. Awareness raising (Article 13) ............................................................................................. 26 B. Education (Article 14) .......................................................................................................... 27 C. Training of professionals (Article 15) ................................................................................... 28 D. Preventive intervention and treatment programmes (Article 16) ........................................ 31 1. Programmes for perpetrators of domestic violence .................................................... 31 2. Programmes for sex offenders .................................................................................... 32 E. Participation of the private sector and the media (Article 17) ............................................. 33 IV. Protection and support ............................................................................................................ 35 A. General obligations (Article 18) ........................................................................................... 35 B. Information (Article 19) ........................................................................................................ 36 C. General support services (Article 20) .................................................................................. 37 1. Social and financial assistance .................................................................................... 37 2. Health care ................................................................................................................... 37 3. Housing ........................................................................................................................ 37 D. Specialist support services and shelters (Articles 22 and 23) ............................................ 38 E. Helplines (Article 24) ............................................................................................................ 39 F. Support services for victims of sexual violence (Article 25) ................................................ 40 G. Protection and support for child witnesses (Article 26) ....................................................... 41 V. Substantive law ......................................................................................................................... 42 A. Civil law ................................................................................................................................ 42 1. Civil remedies against the state: principle of due diligence (Article 29) ...................... 42 2. Compensation (Article 30) ........................................................................................... 42 3. Custody and visitation rights (Article 31) ..................................................................... 43 B. Criminal law.......................................................................................................................... 45 1. Psychological violence (Article 33) .............................................................................. 45 2. Sexual violence, including rape (Article 36)................................................................. 46 3. Forced marriage (Article 37) ........................................................................................ 47 4. Forced abortion and forced sterilisation (Article 39) .................................................... 47 5. Sanctions and measures (Article 45) ........................................................................... 48 6. Aggravating circumstances (Article 46) ....................................................................... 48 GREVIO/Inf(2020)14 4 Belgium ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Prohibition of mandatory alternative dispute resolution processes or sentencing (Article 48)................................................................................................................................. 48 VI. Investigation, prosecution, procedural law and protective measures ............................... 51 A. Immediate response, prevention and protection (Article 50) .............................................. 51 1. Reporting to and investigations by law