GENEVA (23 March 2021) – The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, the Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and other UN and regional human rights experts* today deeply regretted the decision by the President of Turkey to withdraw from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, the Istanbul Convention.
“This decision to withdraw from such an important instrument is a very worrying step backwards. It sends a dangerous message that violence against women is not important, with the risk of encouraging perpetrators and weakening measures to prevent it,” Dubravka Šimonović, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, said.