One in three women will experience violence in her private life. 'This needs to end, we can not remain silent and the delinquents must be called to account', said the president of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
David Sassoli called upon all EU member states to sign the Istanbul Convention, a treaty against domestic violence and violence against women, and introduce it into their national law. The EU Council accepted the Istanbul Convention in 2011, but seven member states still have not implemented the regulations: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and the UK.
The EU will again request that these states ratify the Istanbul Convention; the European Union can not entirely join the agreement unless all member countries apply these laws.
In Hungary, statistics show that one woman a week dies as a consequence of domestic violence. The vice president of the current government has stated that while Fidesz has a two-third majority in the Parliament, the Istanbul Convention will not be ratified. The government also mentioned that they are only waiting for Brussels to introduce it, but later claimed that some parts will surely not be approved, like those dealing with immigrants. The European People’s Party would like to accept the Istanbul Convention and want the Hungarian government to do the same.