Integrated Policies – Integrated Approach Mapping of Policies and Legislation on Violence Against Women and the Istanbul Convention in the Western Balkans and Turkey - Executive Summary

Until recently, violence against women (VAW) was considered to be a private issue. It was not criminalized and there were no policies prohibiting it. In the past decade, Governments in the Western Balkans and Turkey, have adopted laws and strategies addressing VAW and gender inequality. The most significant improvements can be seen in the time period between the signing of the Istanbul Convention (IC) in 2011 and its entry into force in 2014. Despite many achievements within the region, there are gaps between the normative frameworks, formal commitments (shown by ratification of the IC and many legislative improvements), and the implementation of laws and policies, and concrete action taken to end VAW.

This report produced by European Women’s Lobby under the EU-UN Women programme “Implementing Norms, Changing Minds” details the achievements and challenges, as well as good practices and lessons learned in the region in relation to the implementation of the IC and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).