The Minister of Justice and Public Order, Mrs.Stefi Drakou, attended today the inaugural meeting of a delegation of the GREVIO Committee of Experts of the Council of Europe with representatives of all governmental bodies involved in the implementation of the Istanbul Convention at national level.
This is the first on-site visit carried out by the Grevio Committee in Cyprus, with the aim of assessing the measures and policies in place to comply with the extensive guiding framework established by the international Convention.
The Minister, after welcoming the members of the Commission to Cyprus, referred to the significant changes that have been made/achieved in our country in recent years, both at the institutional and legislative level and in the areas of prevention and response to gender and domestic violence, protection of victims and effective prosecution of perpetrators of violence.
Since the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in 2017, important legislation has been drafted and passed to criminalise all forms of violence against women contained in the Convention. The pioneering "Women's House", a multidisciplinary support and empowerment centre for victims of gender-based violence, was established, as well as special Police Units to effectively deal with these cases.
Very recently, on 3 March 2022, following a decision of the Council of Ministers, the National Coordinating Body for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women was established, which will be responsible for the planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies to combat all forms of violence arising from the Istanbul Convention.
The Minister assured the members of the GREVIO Committee of the firm commitment of the Republic of Cyprus to the statutory principles of the Istanbul Convention, as well as the continuation and intensification of efforts to provide a holistic framework of protection, support and empowerment for victims of all forms of violence.
In conclusion, he said that the Government would await the results of the Commission's contacts with all relevant stakeholders and that it would make the fullest possible use of the Improvement Recommendations and Observations to be prepared by the Commission at the conclusion of its assessment.
(EC/IC)
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