Learn more about the Istanbul Convention

The Istanbul Convention sets minimum standards for governments to meet when tackling violence against women. When a government ratifies the Convention, they are legally bound to follow it. So, if the UK Government ratified the Istanbul Convention, it will have to take all necessary steps set out to prevent violence, protect women and prosecute perpetrators. The UK Government will also have to ensure that there is sufficient monitoring of violence against women.

Ratifying the Istanbul Convention will mean a lasting national commitment to tackling violence against women and will increase women’s safety in the UK. It is a pragmatic law that translates into real actions. Ratification of the Istanbul Convention will mean that women and girls in the UK will be guaranteed the right to live free from violence and the fear of violence.

In the five years the UK Government has failed to ratify the Convention, 616 women have lost their lives to gender based violence. This has to stop.

UN Women have named the Istanbul Convention ‘a gold standard’ for tackling violence against women. Human Rights Watch have called it ‘ground-breaking’. And it has already won awards for its effectiveness.

Some of the countries that have already ratified the Istanbul Convention are: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, France, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.

The Istanbul Convention helps guarantee that vital services don't disappear. This infrastructure will allow women to thrive, rather than fight to survive.

Read more about the Istanbul Convention on the IC Change campaign website >>