The European Parliament voted on Wednesday for the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention, which recognizes violence against women as a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination.
MEPs voted on the institutions and public administration of the EU with 472 in favor, 62 against and 73 abstentions, and on judicial cooperation in criminal matters and asylum with 464 in favor, 81 against and 45 abstentions.
The European Court of Justice, in 2021, found that the EU does not need to wait until all member states have ratified the Istanbul Convention before acceding to it, and it also clarifies that the EU should not make the agreement of all member states a prerequisite for the accession decision.
The Parliament called on Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia to ratify the Convention immediately, to protect women fully of the Convention’s intended scope.
Lukasz Kohut, MEP for the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee said, “The Istanbul Convention is recognized as the most effective tool for combating gender-based violence, as it imposes concrete obligations.” The Istanbul Convention, officially the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women, which came into force in 2014, is the first legally binding international instrument on preventing and combating violence against women and girls at international level.
Source: Kuwait News Agency