Kralendijk - A delegation representing the Caribbean part of the Kingdom and the Netherlands was invited by Mrs. Tanja Gonggrijp, the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the Council of Europe, to attend the conference on the Istanbul Convention in Strasbourg. The invitation followed a productive meeting earlier this year. The conference provided an opportunity for exchanging ideas about ratifying and implementing the Istanbul Convention, which aims to prevent, prosecute, and eliminate violence against women and girls as well as domestic violence.
The Council of Europe is a European organization where governments of 46 member states come together to make agreements important for human rights, the rule of law, and democracy in Europe. The Istanbul Convention, ratified by the Netherlands on November 18, 2015, has yet to be ratified by the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. The four countries (the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten) and the public bodies of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba work together towards ratifying the Istanbul Convention in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. During the conference, representatives had discussions with small member states of the Council of Europe that have already ratified and implemented the Convention, such as Ireland and Malta.
Highlights of the program included participation in various workshops on key topics, including the Lanzarote Committee, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, and a visit to the European Court of Human Rights. Special attention was given to preventing all forms of violence against women, data collection on violence against women, providing support services for victims, risk assessment, and programs for offenders. The delegation also attended a presentation by the Dutch Ombudsman and the Istanbul Secretariat at the Council of Europe, including the work of GREVIO (Group of Experts for Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence). GREVIOs role is to monitor the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and provide technical support to member states.
The participants expressed their sincere thanks to Mrs. Tanja Gonggrijp and her team for facilitating this important working visit in collaboration with the Ministries of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, and Health, Welfare and Sport.