To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to ratify the Istanbul Convention in order to protect women and girls who have suffered sexual violence regardless of their immigration status.
Answered on
24 June 2015
This Government is committed to ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (“the Istanbul Convention”).
The UK already has some of the most robust protections in the world against violence towards women and we already comply with the vast majority of the articles in the Istanbul Convention. This includes those related to protecting women and girls, whatever type of violence or abuse they may have been subjected to and irrespective of their immigration status.
The UK Government is liaising with the devolved administrations about ratification, including any further legislative steps necessary.
Primary legislation will be needed to comply with the extra-territorial jurisdiction provisions in Article 44 of the Convention before it can be ratified.