DAVIA Calls for Greater Scrutiny of Istanbul Convention by European Parliament

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Hain

DAVIA Calls for Greater Scrutiny of Istanbul Convention by European Parliament

February 15, 2023 – The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA – has sent to the European Parliament a letter (1) that outlines a series of major concerns with the Istanbul Convention (IC), which is currently under consideration by the EU body. The concerns fall into three categories:

1. Scientific Concerns: Research conducted in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom reveals that each year, nearly identical numbers of men and women are victims of domestic violence (2). Domestic violence in female same-sex relationships is also widespread (3). But the Istanbul Convention flatly ignores this research.

2. EU Law: The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is the foundation of the policies of the European Union. But the Istanbul Convention represents a historic threat to the EU Charter (4), especially provisions regarding equality of the sexes (Article 23), a fair trial (Article 47), and the presumption of innocence (Article 48).

3. Human Rights: The DAVIA letter charges that:

Men are more harshly sentenced than women when committing a felony or a criminal act; … but a woman is let free without a charge.
Men’s reports on domestic violence or abuse are not properly investigated and/or accepted by the police and prosecution authorities.
When a woman abducts a child, nothing happens to her, while a man is arrested and jailed.
Women are widely using false reports and false allegations, sometimes they are even lying in court, to get sole custody of their children, and are not sanctioned when they would be caught lying.

The DAVIA letter cites specific examples from the Netherlands, Spain, and Scotland, and concludes, “We believe that this Convention needs much closer scrutiny of its provisions than it has hitherto received.”

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — consists of 73 member organizations from 28 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. DAVIA seeks to ensure that domestic violence and abuse polices are science-based, family-affirming, and sex-inclusive. https://endtodv.org/davia/

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