Turkey first country to adopt EU directive on domestic violence
Turkey first country to adopt EU directive on domestic violence
In the week of demos and rallies to protest against the rising in gender related crimes, the General Assembly of the Turkish Parliament (TBMM) has adopted the "Draft Law on the Approval of the Ratification of the Council of Europe Declaration on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence". On 24 November, the Draft Law became law.
The "Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence" was signed at the 121st Meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 11 May in Istanbul. Turkey is the first country of the undersigned that passed the convention through parliament.
The convention defines the concepts of "violence against women", "domestic violence", "gender, "gender-based violence against women", "victim" and "women". As the first international binding document related to violence against women and domestic violence, the convention includes the following obligations:
* Parties shall undertake to a) collect disaggregated relevant statistical data at regular intervals on cases of all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention; b) support research in the field of all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention in order to study its root causes and effects, incidences and conviction rates, as well as the efficacy of measures taken to implement this Convention. Parties shall take the necessary legislative and other measures.
* Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that victims have access to services facilitating their recovery from violence. These measures should include, when necessary, services such as legal and psychological counselling, financial assistance, housing, education, training and assistance in finding employment".
* Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that the intentional conduct of serious forms of violence such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, forced marriage, crimes committed in the name of so-called "honour" and genital mutilation is criminalized.
* "Parties shall designate or establish one or more official bodies responsible for the co-ordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and measures to prevent and combat all forms of violence covered by this Convention".
* "The Group of experts on action against violence against women and domestic violence ("GREVIO") shall monitor the implementation of this Convention by the Parties".
The "Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence" was signed at the 121st Meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 11 May in Istanbul. Turkey is the first country of the undersigned that passed the convention through parliament.
The convention defines the concepts of "violence against women", "domestic violence", "gender, "gender-based violence against women", "victim" and "women". As the first international binding document related to violence against women and domestic violence, the convention includes the following obligations:
* Parties shall undertake to a) collect disaggregated relevant statistical data at regular intervals on cases of all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention; b) support research in the field of all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention in order to study its root causes and effects, incidences and conviction rates, as well as the efficacy of measures taken to implement this Convention. Parties shall take the necessary legislative and other measures.
* Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that victims have access to services facilitating their recovery from violence. These measures should include, when necessary, services such as legal and psychological counselling, financial assistance, housing, education, training and assistance in finding employment".
* Parties shall take the necessary legislative or other measures to ensure that the intentional conduct of serious forms of violence such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, forced marriage, crimes committed in the name of so-called "honour" and genital mutilation is criminalized.
* "Parties shall designate or establish one or more official bodies responsible for the co-ordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and measures to prevent and combat all forms of violence covered by this Convention".
* "The Group of experts on action against violence against women and domestic violence ("GREVIO") shall monitor the implementation of this Convention by the Parties".
