Category Archive For "Fempower"
From Crisis to Crisis: the fight for sustainable refuge funding in England
Over the past few years we have seen specialist refuge services in England lurch from funding crisis to funding crisis with no promise of sustainable funding from either local authorities or central government. Despite the uncertainty around refuge funding, the one unchanging factor is that the demand for refuge spaces continues to far exceed the …
“My house is my castle” – the protection of victims of domestic violence under Polish law
Although the Polish legal system has undergone some changes as a result of Poland’s adoption of the Istanbul Convention (1),there still are a number of substantive and procedural shortcomings that women suffering from domestic violence have to face when accessing justice. One of the most pressing problems relates to the need to guarantee the separation …
The lack of implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Italy
On September 10th, 2013, the Istanbul Convention was ratified by Italy and it entered into force almost one year later, on August 1st, 2014. By ratifying the Convention, Italy is obliged to prevent and eliminate violence against women (VAW), particularly by eradicating gender stereotypes which are deeply embedded in Italian culture. These are said to …
The work of “Medica” Zenica with survivors of war rape and sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina
About “Medica” Zenica(1) Medica Zenica is the oldest specialized women’s non-governmental organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which, since April 1993 has been continuously providing comprehensive help, support and care to women and children survivors of war. Additionally, it also offers support to women and children suffering from post war violence, including survivors of war …
The impact of a separation or divorce in cases of domestic violence on refugee status determination
This article seeks to outline the impact of a separation/divorce of a woman from her husband on refugee status determination (RSD) in cases where women have experienced violence by their husband in their country of origin and/or after arriving in the receiving country. An overview of case law of the Austrian Federal Administrative Court will …
Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Finland: What is working well and what still needs to be fixed?
Finland signed the Istanbul Convention (IC) in 2011 and the ratification entered into force in 2015. The first country report to GREVIO was due in spring this year. Alongside Finland’s official report submitted by the state, 13 NGOs formed a coalition to produce a parallel report.(1) The report was coordinated by the two Finnish WAVE …
Implementing the Istanbul Convention into Romanian legislation
Romania signed the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) in 2014 and ratified the Convention in 2016, which entered into force as of September 1st, 2016. Through Law no.174/13.07.2018, the provisions of the Istanbul Convention were partially transposed. Provisions of art. 9 par. (1) lit. …
From Istanbul to a Clash of Civilisations: A Story of a Hijacked Convention in Slovakia
In the beginning of the decade, everything seemed to go smoothly towards quick ratification of the Istanbul Convention in Slovakia. The Minister of Justice signed the Convention in Istanbul on the date of its opening for signature, being in fact among the first Member States of the Council of Europe to do so. Government experts …
Trafficking and Vulnerability
Women are not vulnerable simply because they are women, nor do the women we support in our trafficking provision lack the capacity or the intelligence to make life choices. Many of these women come from societies that do not recognise their equality or view them as “lesser” human beings and they have been made vulnerable …
The impact of armed conflict on the situation of violence against women in the Ukraine
Violence against women and all forms of sexual violence, including rape, sexual assault, forced prostitution, and sexual slavery, are increasingly recognized as a facet of many recent conflicts, spanning from the European Balkans to African countries. Social and economic crises and breakdowns in the rule of law contribute to domestic violence also within the families …
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