“Daily headlines tell us that violence against women sadly continues around the world. The Council of Europe makes ending such violence a top priority, because it breeches basic human rights.

One need not look far to comprehend the massive scope of the problem.

Millions of women and girls worldwide experience violence every day. This abuse takes many forms, including intimate physical and sexual partner violence, female genital mutilation, child and forced marriage, sex trafficking, and rape. A just published Lancet Series on Violence against women and girls shows that such abuse is preventable.

Progress is being achieved since our ground-breaking convention to end violence against women, also known as the Istanbul Convention, entered into force for the 15 countries that have ratified it so far.

Specific measures are being taken. For example, police will be better trained to deal with domestic violence cases, stations will be upgraded so that people who suffer domestic violence can be heard privately and police will build facilities to offer temporary shelter in certain cases.”

Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe