Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Bill — Third Reading — 24 Feb 2017 at 12:50

The majority of MPs taking part voted against ratifying a European convention aimed at preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

MPs were considering the Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Bill^[1].

The motion supported by the majority of MPs in this vote was:

• That the Bill be now read a Third time.

Support for the motion enabled the Bill to continue on its path to becoming law.

The Bill had been amended during its consideration by MPs^[2] to omit the key operative clause which would have required the Government to take all reasonable steps as soon as reasonably practicable to enable the United Kingdom to become compliant with the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, Treaty no. 210 (the “Istanbul Convention”).

The Bill following amendment requires the Secretary of State to report on the timescale within which she expects the Istanbul Convention to be ratified, rather than the date. An amendment was also made removing a requirement for an annual report on the UK's compliance with the convention.

The convention contains the following clauses, among others:

• Parties shall take the necessary legislative and other measures to promote and protect the right for everyone, particularly women, to live free from violence in both the public and the private sphere.
• Parties condemn all forms of discrimination against women and take, without delay, the necessary legislative and other measures to prevent it, in particular by:
• –embodying in their national constitutions or other appropriate legislation the principle of equality between women and men and ensuring the practical realisation of this principle;
• –prohibiting discrimination against women, including through the use of sanctions, where appropriate;
• –abolishing laws and practices which discriminate against women

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• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Bill
• [2] Report Stage Proceedings on the Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Bill as at 24 February 2017

Debate in Parliament |