Ireland signing the Istanbul Convention is a historic day in combating violence against women

Published: Thursday, November 05, 2015

Today, Ireland signed the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, also known as Istanbul Convention.

In response, Orla O’Connor, Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland said,

“This is a historic day for Ireland. As part of NWCI’s campaign over the last years, more than 2,300 e-mails were sent to TDs calling on them to support this signature and today women and men across Ireland are celebrating the success of this campaign. The Istanbul Convention is a blueprint for best practice in the area violence against women. It is an opportunity for Ireland to raise to the challenge of violence against women and meet the scale of the problem. “

She continued,

“1 in 5 women experience domestic and/or sexual violence. These are horrendous crimes which cause devastation to the lives of women, children and communities. A new National Strategy on Violence Against Women is currently being drafted and presents an opportunity to be ambitious in our approach and deliver the necessary resources to implement the Istanbul Convention.

For example, domestic violence should be made a crime in its own right and stalking will need to become a criminal offence. We must also equip An Garda Siochana with the necessary structures, personnel and resources to provide adequate support to survivors and ensure perpetrators are pursued to arrest and conviction.”

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For more information, please contact Silke Paasche, Head of Communications, NWCI, Tel. 085 858 9104.