Regarding the European institutions, and more precisely the Council of Europe, the question raised takes centre stage in the overall debate.
One of the question we may wonder is: what about the European Union?
Alongside various shallow measures, the European Parliament particularly encourages the ratification of the Council of Europe's Istanbul Convention, which aims to prevent and punish domestic violence, violence against women and it also covers all forms of violence against women and girls.it was signed on the 11 May 2011, in Istanbul (Turkey). While the Convention focuses on all forms of violence against women, it explicitly recognizes that domestic violence and other forms of violence also cause male victims.
Historically, we know that the Council of Europe has never been able to rise to the level of the Commission or Parliament for it has never had executive power. Nevertheless, it stands out in this endeavour, as it is the first internationally binding Convention on the subject in Europe. However, this 2011 text has so far been ratified by 28 of the 47 Council of Europe countber States. On 3 July 2018, the Chamber of Deputies adopted the draft law approving the Council of Europe's Istanbul Convention.
Despite the fact that the Convention has a clearly stated purpose, it faces many obstacles. This Convention is facing many misconceptions, such as the idea that women and men are or ought to be "alike". Several ultra-preservative and religious groups have undertaken to disseminate a distorted view of the problem, particularly with regard to the notion of "gender" embodied in the text. When, in fact this Convention mandates us to take action to combat the idea that women are inferior to men. An insight which is a vehicle for prejudices, stereotypes, customs and traditions that still favour men in many situations nowadays. This context makes it all the more difficult for women to report violence and to obtain respect for their human rights.
ries, including 17 EU Mem
As a matter of fact, these " misconceptions " are partly responsible for the refusal of some EU Member States to ratify this Convention. For instance, Bulgaria chose to not ratify it in July 2018, because according to the Bulgarian Constitutional Court, the Convention is " against the Constitution". To combat this, the Council of Europe has decided to publish in a new "questions and answers" document as a reminder of the sole purpose of the Convention: to end violence against women and protect women's human rights.
However with such a high rate of violence against women in Europe, standards of protection should not be left to each Member State individually considering that it involves human rights. The Union is not in a position to be the push centre for such policies since this area does not fall within its scope. It is obvious, however, that this deal will not be implemented in a part of Europe, without another driving force. The idea that this endeavour is the work of the Council of Europe could highlight a possible malfunctioning of the European system.
By the end of next year, an extra 3,500 women will still lose the battle against domestic violence.
Sources :
http://convention-istanbul.lu/
https://search.coe.int/directorate_of_communications/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectId=09000016808f0fb2
https://www.amnesty.fr/actualites/2018-sous-le-signe-de-lahttp://euro-blogs.eu/dotclear/admin/post.php?id=905-resistance-des-femmes
https://gouvernement.lu/fr/actualites/toutes_actualites/communiques/2018/12-decembre/03-mutsch-convention-istanbul.html
https://www.taurillon.org/ecoutez-aussi-l-europe-le-combat-de-l-ue-pour-proteger-les-victimes-de