is one of the greatest health risks of people marginalized by their gender. The most widespread form of such violence is intimate partner violence.The Istanbul Convention
An important instrument in the battle against gender-based, domestic, and intimate partner violence is the Istanbul Convention (IC).
The full title of this human rights treaty is the « Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence »“ but it is generally known as the Istanbul Convention, named after the location (Istanbul) where it was first signed. It contains binding agreements to prevent and combat gender-based and domestic violence, to protect those affected by it, as well as their children, and to punish those who perpetrate it.
Since 2018, the IC has been legally binding in Germany. This means that all national bodies are required to prevent and eliminate all and any forms of gender-based and domestic violence, and to protect those who are affected by it.
- The IC recognizes gender-based and domestic violence as a violation of human rights.
- The Convention identifies violence as both a consequence of structural, historically established discrimination, and as a cause of ongoing inequality. This makes it clear that gender-based and domestic violence can only be ended by actually achieving equality.
- The Convention calls for a comprehensive approach that mobilizes the cooperation of many different agents – from national authoritative bodies to civil society actors, the private sector and the media, to society as a whole.
KIKO for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention
In order to bring an end to gender-based and domestic violence, numerous different actors need to work together: from national bodies like the police or youth welfare service, to government and administration, to civil society anti-violence initiatives like women’s counselling services, those who work with perpetrators, and many more.
To achieve such collaboration, both federal and civil society experts recommend the creation of co-ordinating bodies. This is why the KIKO has been set up in Brandenburg. Our aim is to foster sustainable networking and cooperation, as well as to support the co-ordination of different measures undertaken by NGOs.
You can find more information about KIKO here.
Current status of implementation in Brandenburg
There are manifold fundamental structural, social, and political hurdles to implementing the right to a life free from violence. That is why a state action plan has been prepared for Brandenburg in collaboration with an interdisciplinary Citizens’ Oversight Committee, to eliminate those hurdles.
Status of implementation in Brandenburg: Report on the further development of the state action plan, 2019 [only available in German]
Status of implementation in Germany: GREVIO’s (Baseline) Evaluation Report, 2022
Measures for implementation: Brandenburg state action plan, 2024 [only available in German]