Within the international action “16 days against violence”, to the International Human Rights Day, being aware of the importance and maintaining one of the themes of discussion at the Annual Assembly of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Why can’t Gender Equality wait? (with the adoption of the Gender Mainstreaming Strategy, the Forum takes a more structured approach to the promotion of gender equality in all its structures and operations) members of the Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum appeal to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to promptly ratify on women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) and the introduction into international legislation of Ukraine standards for preventing and combating violence against women and domestic and gender-based violence.
Back in 2017, in its concluding remarks on Ukraine’s 8th periodic report, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) emphasized the crucial role of the legislation in ensuring the full implementation of the Istanbul Convention. In 2018, the Government of Ukraine approved the National Action Plan to implement the recommendations proposed in the Committee’s Concluding Observations.
Moreover, the commitment to tackling gender-based violence is in line with the government’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals №5, namely the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres.
OPEN APPEAL
to deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, or the Istanbul Convention
We, the Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, appeal to the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to immediately ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (hereinafter – the Istanbul Convention) and to introduce international standards for preventing and combating violence on women and domestic and gender-based violence.
The most common form of human rights violations is violence against women, including various forms of domestic violence. COVID-19 quarantine has exacerbated the problem and highlighted gaps in the domestic violence system. In the first quarter of 2020 alone, almost 47,000 complaints were received from citizens about cases of domestic violence, which is almost 50% more than in the same period last year. As a result of quarantine, more and more women, children and the elderly are being abused and often stay at home with abusers. We urge the authorities not to ignore these problems and to take urgent measures to prevent and minimize domestic violence, the irreversibility of punishment for violence, and to provide maximum support and assistance to victims, especially children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
It is important to note that Ukraine was directly involved in the development of the Istanbul Convention and signed it in 2011. Almost ten years have passed, but our country has not yet ratified it.
We call on you to immediately ratify the Istanbul Convention of the Council of Europe on the prevention of violence against women and domestic violence, which is the result of many years of gradual and fundamental work by the European community towards the recognition of violence and develop ways to overcome it.
In addition, the Istanbul Convention is an undeniably progressive document that provides a number of comprehensive measures to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence. It recognizes violence against women as a violation of human rights and, at the same time, a form of discrimination. It is important to take into account that in 2017, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in its concluding observations to Ukraine’s 8th Periodic Report on the Implementation of the UN Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against Women emphasized the crucial role of Ukrainian legislation in ensuring full implementation of the Istanbul Convention.
In 2018, the Government of Ukraine approved the National Action Plan to implement the recommendations proposed in these observations, however, the issue of ratification of the convention remains unresolved, which inevitably affects the political image of Ukraine. Ukraine’s accession to the international “Biarritz Partnership” defines ensuring the effective implementation of legislation in the field of combating domestic and gender-based violence as one of its obligations.
Ratification of the Istanbul Convention promotes an integrated approach to combating violence against women and domestic violence and significantly complements existing instruments, proposes new definitions of terms, and strengthens the protection against gender discrimination. The need to ratify the Istanbul Convention is due to the approximation of current legislation of Ukraine to the legislation of the European Union, as well as related to Ukraine’s human rights obligations to the Council of Europe.
The Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum appeals to the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to immediately ratify the Istanbul Convention and introduce into Ukrainian legislation international standards for preventing and combating violence against women and domestic and gender-based violence.
Reference information:
The Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (UNP) is a network of more than 150 non-governmental organizations in Ukraine, established in 2011, which defends Ukrainian interests within the Eastern Partnership. The platform is part of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, representatives of civil society associations from Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the EU. The forum helps civil society associations in the Eastern Partnership region to advocate for issues important to their countries at the EU level, promotes analytical advocacy and exchange of experience between civil society organizations in the region, and publicly monitors the implementation of the Eastern Partnership goals.
The open appeal of the UNP EaP CSF to the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, or the Istanbul Convention, 8 12.2020
The proposal was initiated by Rostyslav Dzundza (coordinator of WG1, “Bureau of Social and Political Developments”). We thank Mr Dzundza for the prepared Appeal.
Photo glavcom.ua
UNFPA Ukraine