The ratification of the Istanbul Convention in the European Parliament: progress in sight?

On May 10.05.2023, XNUMX, the European Parliament approved the accession of the EU to the Istanbul Convention. Protection against violence for women and girls in Europe is now legally binding. We welcome this step, but call for further action.

Yesterday, Wednesday, the members of the European Parliament met to decide on an important step in combating violence against women at European level - and finally to have the Istanbul Convention ratified. Although the EU signed the Istanbul Convention back in 2016, it has not yet been ratified due to objections from several member states. Yesterday, too, it became clear: several EU countries are still refusing to ratify the Istanbul Convention. This vote in the European Parliament will now not be able to force them to ratify the IC, but will still give women in these countries additional protection.

This means that the EU's accession to the Istanbul Convention creates a secure legal framework for combating violence against women and girls. We explicitly welcome this decision – even if it took too long. But we need coordinated, interlocking and political measures, as the Istanbul Convention also calls for. The urgency of these measures shows us in particular the alarming increase in violence against women and girls and the increasing questioning of women's and LGBTQIA+ rights in many parts of the EU, but also worldwide. And especially in the countries of the EU, which refuse to ratify the Istanbul Convention despite the pressure at European level, violence against women and political hate speech against vulnerable minorities is worryingly high. Further steps by the EU in the fight against violence must now be taken - especially with regard to the protection of vulnerable groups such as women with disabilities, refugee women or people from the queer community.

First of all, however, the decision to ratify is above all a symbolic success in order to increase European pressure on the countries that have not yet ratified the Istanbul Convention. Because in view of right-wing conservative and fundamentalist movements that are threatening women's and human rights worldwide, we must jointly insist even more strongly on the implementation of human rights conventions.

DaMigra eV represents the interests of women migrant organizations and their concerns and advocates equal opportunities, equal participation and the equality of women with a history of migration and refugee experience in Germany. DaMigra follows the approach of anti-racist feminism.