Istanbul Convention: Greatest Gender Hoax in Modern History

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Mike Buchanan

Telephone: +44 7967 026163

Istanbul Convention: Greatest Gender Hoax in Modern History

April 10, 2023 – The Istanbul Convention advances controversial claims about female-perpetrated domestic violence and the effects of unequal power relations. But the Convention does not cite any research to support these sweeping statements.

So how did so many persons come to embrace these myths?

Domestic Violence by Women Is a Non-Issue

The Istanbul Convention uses the phrase, “violence against women” 56 times, and “violence against men” not once. But a compilation of 15 research studies conducted throughout Europe reveals men and women have similar rates of victimization from physical domestic violence in the previous year (1). These are three of many examples:

Adolescents in Denmark: 13.1% of boys and 9.3% of girls (2)
University students in Germany: 8.2% of males and 10.5% of females (3)
Adults in Greece: 31% of men and 23.1% of women (4)

The Convention’s failure to address female-perpetrated violence also represents a human rights setback to women in same-sex relationships, who are at especially high risk of abuse (5).

Domestic Abuse is Caused by Unequal Power Relations

The Convention asserts that “violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position.” This is consistent with feminist Gloria Steinem’s remark that, “patriarchy requires violence, or the subliminal threat of violence, in order to maintain itself.”

But if domestic violence was caused by unequal power relations, why would boys in equality-minded Denmark be victimized by dating violence more often than girls? Researcher Nicola Graham-Kevan reveals this claim is a “theory that is ideologically based, rather than empirically supported.” (6)

Even though Steinem’s assertions are provably false, such claims, endlessly repeated in media accounts, serve to play on men’s sense of chivalry, and aim to exploit the fears of women.

The assertions of the Istanbul Convention represent a frequently repeated but entirely false gender hoax. DAVIA calls on lawmakers to reject the false claims of the Istanbul Convention, and develop domestic violence laws that are based on science, not gender ideology.

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — consists of 78 member organizations from 31 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. DAVIA seeks to ensure that domestic violence and abuse polices are family-affirming, science-based, and sex-inclusive. https://endtodv.org/davia/

Citations: