Today, we are proud to launch our 16 days, 16 changes series to highlight 16 key changes that would result from the UK ratifying the Istanbul Convention. We invite you to add your voice and call for this critical change for women and girls.
For the UN 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (25 November-10 December), we are shining a spotlight on the important and lifesaving work taking place across the UK to address violence against women – and on the need to protect and strengthen it through the ratification of the Istanbul Convention.
What’s the problem?
Violence against women and girls is a serious and widespread issue in the UK. It takes many forms, including domestic abuse, sexual harassment, rape and female genital mutilation. Despite how common it is, the government’s approach is inadequate, fragmented and out of date.
Many great organisations carry out vital work to support women and girls and eliminate violence against them; each one of them is a vital part of the necessary infrastructure to do so. The coronavirus crisis has shown that their work is needed now more than ever.
Unfortunately, initiatives and services tackling violence against women are often in crisis themselves and in danger of closing due to restrictions and cuts to funding. Services for black and minority women are particularly affected. Moreover, prevention initiatives are still too rare, and prosecution rates far too low.
What is the Istanbul Convention and how would it help?
The UK needs a comprehensive, long-term strategic approach to ending violence against women.
This is what the Istanbul Convention offers. It is the strongest and most comprehensive legal framework that exists to tackle violence against women and girls – and it leaves no woman behind.
Ratifying the Istanbul Convention would commit the UK government to following a strong set of minimum standards to protect and support women, prosecute perpetrators and prevent violence against women.
Despite its many promises to ratify the Convention, the government still has not done so. Until it does, the Convention is not legally binding. This is prevents important steps to tackle violence against women to be made.
What is 16 days, 16 changes all about?
For the next 16 days, we will highlight 16 key changes that the UK ratifying the Istanbul Convention will make to the work of organisations addressing violence against women across the UK, and ultimately to women and girls.
Each day, we will feature a different campaign or service in order to give you an insight into their work and why they are calling the UK government to deliver on the promise it made 8 years ago to ratify the Istanbul Convention.
We are passionate about ratification because it would protect and strengthen their work and, more importantly, help to secure a future free from violence for women and girls.
We invite you to follow the series to learn more about the work of these fantastic organisations and the Istanbul Convention – and how you can help us to keep pressure on the Government to ratify the Convention without delay.
How can you get involved?
We need your help to keep the Istanbul Convention on the government’s agenda.
To help us get ratification, and protect vital services for women and girls, you can:
- Sign our petition urging the UK government to ratify the Istanbul Convention.
- Share the petition with your networks to help us grow this movement and increase pressure on the government to ratify without delay.
- Share this blog and support our #16days series, to shine a light on some of the amazing work currently being done to support women and girls, and end violence. Here are some template Tweets you can use:
- Check out @ICChangeUK’s #16days16changes series to find out why the UK ratifying the #IstanbulConvention matters for #violenceagainstwomen campaigns and services across the UK and how you can help: https://icchange.co.uk/16Days/16Changes-2020 #OrangeTheWorld.
- The UK needs to catch up and ratify the #IstanbulConvention to help end violence against women. Join over 14,000 others by signing @ICChangeUK’s petition as part of the #16daysofactivism: www.change.org/ICchangeUK