YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland called 9 member states of the European Council, including Armenia, to ratify Europe’s Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence – better known as the Istanbul Convention. “Armenpress” was informed about this from the official website of the European Council. 

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe praised the 20 states who have signed that document. “I would therefore like to take this opportunity to praise the 18 member states who have incorporated the treaty into their domestic law and the 20 who have signed it with the intention of ratifying. Only 9 member states have not yet signed this important treaty: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Ireland, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation. I urge them to do so without delay”, Thorbjørn Jagland stressed.

According to the Istanbul convention states are obliged to prosecute the perpetrators, guarantee protection for the victim, and take actions to prevent violence against women.

The above-mentioned convention came into force on 1 August 2014. It foresees criminal penalty for violence against women in all its forms, from sexual violence and rape to stalking, sexual harassment and psychological abuse at the hands of intimate partners.