WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

 

European Women's Lobby - EWL

http://www.womenlobby.org/spip.php?article4292

 

CALL FOR WOMEN OF EUROPE TO ASK YOUR PARLIAMENTARIANS TO SIGN THE DECLARATION

FOR THE EU TO RATIFY THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONVENTION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

 

Ask your MEPs to sign the written declaration calling on the EU to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on violence against women!

[Brussels, 23 November 2012] Five Members of the European Parliament have initiated a written declaration calling on the EU to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on violence against women. As soon as the written declaration gets the signatures of half of the MEPs, it will enter into force and be considered a strong political statement from the European Parliament.

To celebrate this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we propose a concrete and easy action:

We need your help to get those 377 signatures!! Contact the MEPs of your country and ask them to sign the written declaration 0037/2012.

Why do we need this written declaration?

In Europe, 7 women die every day from male domestic violence and an average of 25 % of women experience violence from their partner/ex-partner. In Europe, women are raped every day, and only 4 to 10% try to find justice, while the majority suffering the traumatic experience of sexual violence without any help.

The European Union has the power to ratify the Council of Europe Convention. This human rights instrument is the first European-wide convention providing a comprehensive legal framework to address many forms of violence against women. Protection, prevention and prosecution measures, as well as partnership with women’s organisations, are foreseen in the Convention. By ratifying it, the EU would send a clear signal that violence against women is not acceptable in the 21st century.

Thanks in advance for your support towards change!

Disseminate this call and use #EndVAWinEurope on your social media!

You can find the text of the written declaration in your language below and send it to your MEPs: