Stefanishyna: Ratification and implementation of Istanbul Convention should be Ukraine’s success story

"My dream and priority for next year is the ratification of the Istanbul Convention. I dream that this bill is not only introduced in the parliament and voted for, but that a very conscious decision, free from stereotypes is made," Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna said at the 5th Ukrainian Women’s Congress, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

She stressed that the Government had already taken a step towards this decision by forming a statement that will be an integral part of the ratification document, in which tried to dispel all the myths and horror stories, strongly rooted in society by certain religious organizations.

In this context, the Deputy Prime Minister also noted that it may be worth noting that the Church is still separated from the state in Ukraine, and the Istanbul Convention is just one of many documents that need to be adopted.

"We have already made important decisions: discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, on grounds of skin color is banned by the law, we have court decisions, and these are the changes that already exist in our country. So it's really a dream, I believe in it. We are working hard on this, and I want the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and further steps in its implementation to be a success story in our country," she concluded.

As reported, Maria Mezentseva, Chair of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, told Ukrinform in June that Ukraine could ratify the Istanbul Convention in the new political season.

The Istanbul Convention is a legally binding international act under the auspices of the Council of Europe, which covers issues related to violence against women (punishment and prosecution of criminals, protection and assistance to victims, prevention and counteraction to violence as a social phenomenon).

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