Prevention of violence against women – Legislation and human rights conventions

Finland is committed to complying with two key conventions concerning violence against women:

1. The Directive (EU) 2024/1385 of the European Parliament and of the Council on combating violence against women and domestic violence
2. The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention)

The Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on combating violence against women and domestic violence

The  Directive (EU) 2024/1385 of the European Parliament and of the Council on combating violence against women and domestic violence entered into force in 2024. It sets a minimum level for national legislation to combat violence against women and domestic violence. Gender equality and non-discrimination are among the core values and fundamental rights of the European Union.

Key elements of the Directive:

• victims’ specific needs for protection must be identified through an individual assessment
• specialised support for victims of sexual violence and female genital mutilation
• ensuring support for victims of multiple discrimination
• mandatory training for professionals
• national action plans and coordination between actors.

Directive (EU) 2024/1385 on combating violence against women and domestic violence (EUR-Lex)

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention) entered into force in Finland in 2015.

Under the Istanbul Convention:

•  violence against women and domestic violence are prevented and eliminated
• victims of violence against women and domestic violence, as well as their family members, are protected and provided with support services
• the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women is promoted.

The implementation of the Istanbul Convention is coordinated by the Committee for Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (NAPE).
NAPE – Committee for Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (stm.fi)

The implementation of the Istanbul Convention is monitored by an independent Council of Europe expert group, GREVIO. Finland has received remarks on insufficient measures to address violence against women, such as a gender-neutral approach to intervening in violence and shortcomings in women-specific shelter services.

Government Decree on the entry into force of the provisions within the field of legislation of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (375/2015), Istanbul Convention. (in Finnish, Finlex)

Other key human rights conventions include:

• the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (the Lanzarote Convention)
  Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (2007) (in Finnish, Ministry for Foreign Affairs)
• the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
  Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979) (in Finnish, Ministry for Foreign Affairs)

Sources

• GREVIO (2024). GREVIO Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. Building trust by delivering support, protection and justice. Finland. First thematic evaluation report. (Council of Europe)
• GREVIO (2019). GREVIO Baseline Evaluation Report on legislative and other measures giving effect to the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention). FINLAND. (Council of Europe)