Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence

The Istanbul Convention is a Council of Europe treaty that is the first legally binding instrument in Europe to set standards for preventing violence against women, protecting victims and prosecuting offenders. It requires states to criminalise acts such as domestic violence, stalking, forced marriage, female genital mutilation and sexual violence, and to provide services such as shelters and hotlines. It entered into force in 2014 and has been ratified by most member states of the Council of Europe, and by the European Union. Some countries, including Poland and Hungary, have challenged it, and Turkey, the host of the signing, withdrew in 2021.

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