The United Nations defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life."

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women, also known as the Istanbul Convention, is the first legally binding international instrument on this issue. It establishes a comprehensive framework of measures for preventing such violence, supporting victims and punishing perpetrators.&nbsp;

MEPs have voted during May 2023 plenary to approve the European Union’s accession to the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women, concluding Parliament’s role in the process. Six years after the EU signed the Istanbul Convention - it has still not been ratified because of the refusal of a few member states, despite&nbsp;Parliament’s multiple calls to this end.

However, the EU&nbsp;Court of Justice’s opinion of 6 October 2021&nbsp;confirmed that the European Union can ratify the Istanbul Convention without having the agreement of all member states. The Court found that the appropriate scope for the EU’s accession is asylum, judicial cooperation in criminal matters, and obligations of the EU institutions and public administration.

The EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention does not exempt member states from ratifying it themselves, MEPs have repeatedly said, urging the remaining six countries - Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia - to ratify the Convention without delay, so that it can protect women to the full extent of the Convention’s intended scope

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Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality

9th parliamentary term

Violence against women

EP Plenary Session - Combating gender-based violence: cyberviolence

Combating gender-based cyberviolence: MEPs debate

Combating gender-based cyberviolence: closing statement by Helena DALLI, European Commissioner for Equality

Combating gender-based cyberviolence: opening statements by Elissavet VOZEMBERG-VRIONIDI (EPP, EL), Sylwia SPUREK (Greens/EFA, PL), rapporteurs and by Helena DALLI, European Commissioner for Equality

Combating Gender based Violence - Cyber Violence: statement by Sylwia SPUREK (GREENS/EFA, PL), Rapporteur and extracts of the meeting on "Eliminating Violence against Women" panel on cyberviolence

FEMM Committee - Eliminating Violence against Women

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: illumination of the EP buildings and extracts from the debate

The International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women and the State of play on the ratification of the Istanbul Convention: MEPs debate (continuation of part 1/2)

The International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women and the State of play on the ratification of the Istanbul Convention: opening statement by Helena DALLI, European Commissioner for Equality

EP Plenary Session - The International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women and the State of play on the ratification of the Istanbul Convention

ECON Committee - Statement ahead of the European Gender Equality Week

The impact of intimate partner violence and custody rights on women and children: statements by Elena KOUNTOURA (The Left, EL) and Luisa REGIMENTI (EPP, IT), co-rapporteurs, extracts from the debate (04/10) and result of the final vote

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

Need to fight the systematic problem of gender based violence in Europe

EP Plenary session - Use of rape as weapon of war, in particular in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: MEPs Debate part 1

International Day for the Elimination of violence against Women: orange flags and lights at the European Parliament in Strasbourg

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: extracts from the debate

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: MEPs Debate part 2

Statement by Roberta METSOLA, EP President, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Need to fight the systematic problem of gender based violence in Europe: Closing statement by Helena DALLI, European Commissioner for Equality

Need to fight the systematic problem of gender based violence in Europe: MEPs debate

Need to fight the systematic problem of gender based violence in Europe: Opening statement by Helena DALLI, European Commissioner for Equality

EP Plenary session - Combating violence against women and domestic violence: Closing statements by Helena DALLI, European Commissioner for Equality, Evin INCIR (S&D, SE) and Frances FITZGERALD (EPP, IE), Rapporteurs

Combatting violence against women and domestic violence: extracts from the debate (23.04) and from the vote (24.04)

EP Plenary session - Combating violence against women and domestic violence: MEPs debate

EP Plenary session - Combating violence against women and domestic violence: Opening statements by Evin INCIR (S&D, SE), Frances FITZGERALD (EPP, IE), Rapporteurs, Rosa ESTARÀS FERRAGUT, Helena DALLI, Alexandra GEESE, Manon AUBRY

Infoclip: International women's day - women in sport

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President, to Malta: Visit to a residential care home managed by Fondazzjoni Sebh in Hamrun

Press conference by Frances FITZGERALD (EPP, IE), Evin INCIR (S&D, SE), Robert BIEDROŃ (S&D, PL) and Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR (S&D, ES) on Violence Against Women

Violence Against Women trialogue negotiations with the Council: arrival and roundtable

Official visit by Roberta METSOLA, EP President to Malta: lays wreath on Paulina Dembska's murder site, Sliema

Press conference by Frances FITZGERALD (EPP, IE), Evin INCIR (S&D, SE) rapporteurs and other lead MEP's on the Violence against women - update on the state of negotiations by the negotiators

Award of the 2023 Sakharov Prize: statements by Afsoon Najafi and Mersedeh Shahinkar representing Woman, Life, Freedom Movement, Sakharov Prize 2023 laureates

Award of the 2023 Sakharov Prize: extracts from the ceremony

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