PES Women is deeply worried by the latest move of the Polish ruling party “Law and Justice (PiS)” and its coalition partners who have announced intention to withdrawal Poland from the Istanbul Convention.

The treaty is currently the most advanced, comprehensive, and effective international legal instrument for preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
The Istanbul Convention which was adopted by the Council of Europe in 2011 was ratified by Poland in 2015. The Polish government intends to start the procedure of withdrawing from the treaty today.

Zita Gurmai, president of the PES Women said: “The Istanbul convention has led to higher protection standards in Europe and raised awareness on the topic of gender-based violence across Europe. Withdrawing from the convention rolls back the level of women’s rights in Poland.”

The Polish plan to withdraw from the convention comes after the Covid-19 lockdown, which has seen women more exposed to gender-based violence. Indeed, figures from several Member States have shown that the number of cases of violence against women has risen significantly during the lockdown, although femicides do not count into the official death statistics of COVID-19.

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