Europe - Council of Europe - Violence Against Women

The recognition and respect throughout Europe for the equal dignity and integrity of both women and men are major objectives of the Council of Europe. Practices which may be qualified as torture or inhuman or degrading treatment and to which women are preponderantly exposed by virtue of their sex, such as physical violence, rape, genital and sexual mutilation, traffic in women and girls are still common and have dramatically increased in some areas, both in quantity and intensity.

Violence against women is a serious obstacle to equality between women and men, and perpetuates inequality.

Since 1993, the Council of Europe has made the combat against violence one of its priorities.

Factsheet on combating violence against women

Recommendation (2002) 5
Recommendation Rec(2002)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the protection of women against violence adopted on 30 April 2002 and Explanatory Memorandum

CDEG (2005) 1
Forced marriages in Council of Europe member states

EG-SEM-MV (2005) Proceedings
Violence within the family: the place and role of men

EG-S-MV (2004) RAP FIN rev
Implementation of and Follow-up to Recommendation Rec(2002)5 on the Protection of Women against Violence

EG (2004) 5
Violence against women
Compilation of the main texts of the Council of Europe since 1995

EG (2004) 2
Legislation in the member States of the Council of Europe in the field of violence against women

EG-SEM-MV (2004) Proceedings
Therapeutic treatment of men perpetrators of violence within the family
Seminar proceedings

EG-SEM-MV (2003) Proceedings
Measures dealing with men perpetrators of domestic violence

EG-SEM-VIO (1999) 21
Seminar men and violence against women
Proceedings

EG-BUC (1999) 1
Ending domestic violence : action and mesures
Proceedings of the Forum

EG-S-VL (1998) 1
Summary of the Plan of Action to combat violence against women

EG-S-VL (97) 1
Final report of activities of the Group of specialists for combating violence against women (EG-S-VL), including a Plan of Action for combating violence against women