The Council of Europe will hold the closing conference of its Campaign to Combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence on 10-11 June in Strasbourg.
The aim of the conference is to assess the results of the campaign and the measures taken by the Council of Europe and its member states to protect women against violence. The participants in the conference will also discuss proposals for future actions to fight this human rights violation, including the need for a new Council of Europe Convention to prevent and combat violence against women.
For two years the campaign, the first of pan-European scope, has put gender-based violence very high on the political agenda with a view to increasing awareness, urging states to adopt national measures to prevent and combat it, protect the victims and prosecute the perpetrators.
Representatives of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, including many ministers responsible for fighting violence against women, will attend the event, as well as representatives of international intergovernmental organisations and NGOs.
The conference, which is open to the press, will be opened by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, at 9.30.
