ABSTRACT
The Istanbul Convention is the first European instrument that sets clear and binding obligations on the States that ratify the Convention, thus contributing to the development of international law in this area. Violence against women was introduced in the agenda of international human rights institutions at the beginning of the nineties. The Istanbul Convention was drafted and negotiated during an intensive period between the spring of 2009 and December 2010. According to the Convention, violence against women means “all acts of gender-based violence that result in, or are likely to result in, physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm or suffering to women”. The criminal law provisions of the Convention include the obligation to have adequate criminal laws against physical violence, psychological violence, stalking, sexual violence, sexual harassment, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, forced abortion and forced sterilization. This chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
