On January 12, Czech Human Rights Minister Jiri Dienstbier promised several women’s organizations that his government would sign the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convenion) by mid-2016. Ratification by the Parliament of the Czech Republic is expected to occur in 2018, allowing the government time to update or amend its laws to comply with the Istanbul Convention’s requirements.
The Istanbul Convention is the first legally binding instrument in Europe to create a comprehensive legal framework to protect women from acts of violence as well as prevent, prosecute and eliminate all forms of violence against women. To date, nineteen countries have ratified the Istanbul Convention, which entered into force on August 1, 2014. An additional twenty countries have signed, but not yet ratified, the Convention.
For an updated list of signatures and ratifications, please visit the Council of Europe’s website.
Compiled from: Czech gov't to sign convention against violence targeting women, Prague Daily Monitor (January 12, 2016).