The European Youth Forum is appalled to see Turkey, who was the very first member state to ratify the Istanbul Convention in 2012, pull out of this commitment, just a few weeks after we all celebrated its 10th anniversary.

The Istanbul Convention is not a political tool, it is about fundamental rights. It is the first legally-binding treaty that creates a comprehensive legal framework and approach to combat violence against women. It is focused on preventing domestic violence, protecting victims and prosecuting accused offenders.

The ‘shadow pandemic’ of gender-based violence in the last year, with exploding figures of domestic violence, has shown just how much work every single member state still has to do, to fully live up to the commitments made in the Convention.

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