Overview of the Council of Europe (CoE) Campaign 2007 to Combat Violence Against Women

In November 2006 the Council of Europe (COE) launched a Campaign to Combat Violence Against Women which will end in March 2008.

Drawing on the Action Plan adopted during the Third Summit of the COE and the Recommendations Rec(2002)5 of the Committee of Ministers, the core theme of the Campaign is to:

"Prevent and combat violence against women occurring in the family or domestic unit (domestic violence)."

The aim of the Campaign is threefold:

• to raise awareness across all 46 COE member states that violence against women is a human rights violation and encourages every citizen to challenge it;
• to urge states to demonstrate political will by providing adequate resources to deliver concrete results in ending violence against women;
• to promote the implementation of effective measures for preventing and combating violence against women, through legislation  and national action plans for implementation of Recommendations Rec(2002)5 and to regularly monitor the progress achieved.

Member states are further urged to make significant progress in:

• Legal and policy measures
• Support for and protection of victims
• Data Collection
• Awareness raising

The WAVE Network welcomes the Council of Europe Campaign and calls upon COE member states to effectively implement the campaign objectives laid out in the Blueprint.

To make the campaign successful WAVE calls upon its focal points and partners for active support and to lobby their respective governments for a strong and effective implementation.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE CAMPAIGN

General Website of the Campaign: www.coe.int/stopviolence

Campaign Blue Print

On the above website and also on the WAVE website you can find, among other useful materials, the outline of the COE campaign (Blue Print), prepared by the Task Force to Combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence. The Blue Print should be distributed widely on the national level to inform many institutions, organisations and persons about the COE campaign and to encourage them to join. It should also serve as the base for national action plans. If would be very useful to translate it to the language of your country. If you have Blue Prints translations, please send it to the WAVE office - we will help to distribute it.

Currently the Blue Print is available in French and English (see CoE Campaing website).

Colleagues from Swizzerland have  translated the Blue Print into German. To get a German version please send a mail to: office@wave-network.org

Handbook for parliamentarians

The Parliamentary Assembly has published the Handbook - Parliaments United in combating domestic violence against women, which can be found on the website besides other useful material.

http://www.coe.int/t/pace/campaign/stopviolence/NationalContacts_en.asp

Task Force to Combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence

The Task Force to Combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence has been set up in 2006. The Task Force, composed of eight international experts in the field of preventing and combating violence against women, will be in charge of evaluating progress at national level and establishing instruments for quantifying developments at pan-European level with a view to drawing up proposals for action. WAVE co-founder Rosa Logar has been nominated as one of the members of the Task Force.

Contact: e-mail: rosa.logar@interventionsstelle-wien.at

COE Member States - List of the High Level Officials and Focal Points for the campaign

According to the Blue Print every Member State should to nominate a governmental High Level official as well as a Focal Point. Further also the national parliaments should nominate a contact person (see below). Member States should also establish National Task Forces, develop and implement National Action Plans and report to the COE about the activities.

"Focal Points should be supported by a national Task Force on violence against women occurring in the family or domestic unit which should include women's NGOs and others working to combat violence against women. The role of the national Task Force is to support the delivery of member states' national campaigns to combat violence against women, including violence in the family or domestic unit." (COE, CM(2006)93, p.7)

Website link to national High Level Officials and Focal Points in the national governments

http://www.coe.int/t/dg2/equality/domesticviolencecampaign/NationalContacts_en.asp

Website link to national Focal Points in Parliament:

http://www.coe.int/t/pace/campaign/stopviolence/NationalContacts_en.asp

Campaign Materials

The CoE has produced campaign material like posters, flyers, stickers, pens,?You can order them from the CoE.

Contact e-mail:  DG2.Violence@coe.int