EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Lithuania

Thorbjorn Jagland and Linas Linkevicius. Vilnius, 7.06.2013. Photo: urm.lt

"The Istanbul Convention contains a compendium of measures to deal with the problem of violence against women and gender-based violence. We must join the international community in the effort to take advantage of the proposed measures, in order to reduce the tragic cases when the authorities are unable to protect victims in case of domestic violence. I am glad that the opportunity to sign this Convention coincided with the 20th anniversary of Lithuania's membership in the European Council and Secretary General's visit in Lithuania", Linkevicius said.

The Convention was opened for signature in Istanbul in 2011, so it is often called the Istanbul Convention. It is the first legally binding legal measure in Europe, which aims to combat violence against women and domestic violence. The Convention provides for the prevention of domestic violence and public education efforts to investigate and to prevent the manifestations of violence, contributing to the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, the promotion of equality between men and women, and international cooperation in these areas, through the provision of assistance to non-governmental organizations and law enforcement authorities in eradicating violence against women and domestic violence.

Lithuania signed the Convention with the unilateral statement, noting that the provisions of the Convention will be applied with principles and norms of Lithuanian Constitution, similarly as Poland and Italy did while signing the Convention.