Shaping the way Europe prevents violence against women

Working for the Council of Europe, a leading human rights organisation with 47 member states, Distinguished Professor Sylvia Walby and her team from Lancaster University's Sociology Department have drawn up a practical checklist and advice paper for policymakers and practitioners on what needs to be done to implement a key part of an international agreement.

The Council of Europe's Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (known as the Istanbul Convention) is the most far-reaching international treaty to tackle this serious violation of human rights.

Violence against women is the most common violation of women's human rights in Europe and remains widespread in all member States of the Council of Europe, with devastating consequences for women, societies and economies.

The Council of Europe plays a leading role in preventing and combating all forms of violence against women through ground-breaking standards and awareness-raising activities.

Professor Walby, the Director of the Violence and Society UNESCO Centre, said: "The development of research and a common measurement framework is an important step in producing the knowledge needed to prevent this violence."