Liberal International (LI) has called on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to adopt a ground-breaking international legal framework on womens’ rights, which incorporates the Istanbul Convention on the on Preventing and Combatting Violence Against Women.
The existing Convention is currently the most far-reaching, legally binding international instrument addressing violence against women but is limited to only a handful of states in Europe. In a written statement submitted to the 27th Session of the UNHRC, LI has urged for the extension of the Istanbul Convention beyond the borders of Europe. The statement builds on the resolution adopted by LI’s 59th Congress in Rotterdam and calls on the international community to adopt new international law which incorporates all provisions included in the Istanbul Convention.
The President of LI full member, International Network of Liberal Women (INLW), Margaret De Vos Van Steenwijk, will present a joint oral statement on behalf of LI and INLW to the UNHRC in Geneva on Monday 15th September. Mrs De Vos will call for a solution to the current gaps in the international legal framework when it comes to preventing and eliminating gender-based violence.
This is part of a larger campaign launched by both LI and INLW, which aims at raising awareness of the need to have the Istanbul Convention universally accepted as part of a global women rights convention. This will provide an overarching definition of violence against women, defining such acts as discrimination and as a violation of human rights.
A live video link to the oral statement will be made available on 15th September via LI’s social media.
