NAWO recently participated in a rountable discussion on Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP Private Members’ Bill to ratify the Istanbul Convention.This event marked the begin of the process of a wide ranging campaign that empowers activists to talk about the Istanbul Convention and this Private Members’ Bill – in order to surpass the requirement of 100 MPs to attend the second reading on December 16th. You can see notes from this meeting here and the campaign project plan here.

The Council of Europe’s Convention on Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (the “Istanbul Convention”), arguably the most progressive international treaty for women’s rights,

remains unratified by the UK. The Istanbul Convention sets minimum standards for governments to meet when tackling violence against women. By ratifying the Convention the UK will have to take all necessary steps it sets out to prevent violence, protect women experiencing violence and prosecute perpetrators and ensure that there is sufficient monitoring of violence against women.

To support this call for women and girls in the UK to get the best protection against violence possible we urge you to:

–  sign the petition

–  share the petition via Facebook, Twitter, and beyond! The hashtags are #istanbulconvention and #ICchange and our Twitter handle is @ICchangeUK

–  write to your MPs on behalf of your organisations and to encourage your Members to write to their MPs to show your support for this campaign!