Înapoi Awareness-raising event on the role of national Parliaments in preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Azerbaijan

Awareness-raising event on the role of national Parliaments in preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Azerbaijan

On 19 May 2022, the Council of Europe in co-operation with the State Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs (SCFWCA) organised an awareness-raising event on the role of national Parliaments in preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event aimed at raising awareness on Council of Europe standards on violence against women and domestic violence and the role of national parliaments in this field.

More than 30 participants, including Members of the Parliament represented in the Milli Majlis, the representatives of the SCFWCA and of international organisations and embassies attended the event. Ms Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Ms Bahar Muradova, Chair of the State Committee on Family, Women and Children Affairs and Ambassador Peter Michalko, Head of the European Union Delegation to Azerbaijan addressed the opening session of the event. In the first session dedicated to Council of Europe standards on violence against women and domestic violence, interventions of Ms Iris Luarasi, president of the Group of Experts against Violence against Women (GREVIO) and Judge Lətif Hüseynov, Azerbaijani judge to the European Court of Human Rights, highlighted how the Council of Europe is helping member states tackle this very serious human rights violation. In the second session dedicated to the role of national parliaments in promoting these standards at national level, interventions from members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe showcased what member states, including Azerbaijan, are doing to prevent and combat violence against women.

During the discussions, participants highlighted the key role of parliamentarians in promoting standards on violence against women and in raising awareness on the topic in the society and point onto the right direction for policy and legislative changes.

The Azerbaijani translation of the Council of Europe publication on “The Istanbul Convention: A powerful tool to end gender-based violence. A handbook for parliamentarians on the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence” was presented to the participants during the event.

This activity was organised in the framework of the project “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan,”  funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in their Partnership for Good Governance II 2019-2022.

Azerbaijan 19 May 2022
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Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
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Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of Equality Bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region

A two-day workshop on addressing hate speech and hate crime took place at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, involving Equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions.  The event supported by the EU and Council of Europe, gathered 50 representatives from both regions who discussed and exchanged on the best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy, raising awareness and supporting victims equality bodies play a fundamental role in protecting human rights and ensuring that all individuals are treated equally.

In her opening remarks, Angela Longo, Head of Anti-discrimination Co-operation Unit, Council of Europe, underlined the significant progress in engaging with Equality Bodies through this network, regularly exchanging best practices and addressing the challenges of hatred and intolerance in societies. She highlighted that this new chapter of discussion delves into the grey area between hate speech and hate crime, addressing issues of incitement and biases,

Representatives from Equality Bodies had the opportunity to discuss and enhance their knowledge on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation to member States on combating hate crime, adopted on 7th May 2024, as well as gain a clearer understanding of EU standards in the field of hate crime. Moreover, participants engaged in exchanges with peers from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE), who shared insights on addressing hate speech in the public discourse. The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) in Italy provided practical examples for developing counter-narratives and raising awareness initiatives.

They also explored opportunities to advocate for legislative reform, foster multisectoral co-operation, enhance data collection, and overall improve national mechanisms to counter hate crimes.

This seminar was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe  under the joint Programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

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