European local leaders condemn Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention

In a recent statement, the CEMR Standing Committee for Equality, a group of local and regional elected politicians from across Europe championing the cause of local equality, raised deep concerns over Turkish withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention).

Given the current political landscape, increasingly marked by human rights backlashes in numerous countries, and in light of the “shadow pandemic” of domestic violence that has erupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is extremely worrying to see the first signatory of the Istanbul Convention turn its back on the girls and women of Turkey.

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