Summary:By signing the Convention we would ensure that British offenders who commit their crimes abroad would still face justice in our courts
The Prime
Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
have issued a joint statement on the Government signing the Council of
Europe’s Convention on Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence.
Read the joint statement below:
“International
Women’s Day is about reflecting on the strides that have been taken to give
women more power, more choice and more control over their lives. But it is also
about pushing for more to be done. Because the truth is, there is still a lot
of work we need to do on the basics: ending violence against women and ensuring
the physical security that is everyone’s fundamental right.
The UK
already has some of the most robust protections against violence towards women
in the world. But we know we’ve got to do better. So today we can confirm that
we are working towards signing the Council of Europe’s Convention on Violence
Against Women and Domestic Violence before ratifying the treaty and
incorporating it into UK law.
This
agreement is unprecedented, and it is vital. Across Europe millions of women
suffer physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes. In the UK nearly one
million women experience domestic abuse each year. This is an utter scandal –
and together we are going to work harder than ever to bring this violence to an
end.
The
agreement is not just a piece of paper. It’s going to lift the standards of
protection for women across Europe, give greater support for victims and –
crucially – bring many more perpetrators to justice.
By signing
the Convention we would ensure that British offenders who commit their crimes
abroad would still face justice in our courts. This is what we do in cases of
murder and paedophilia. We believe rapists and abusive men from the UK who
seriously harm women should face the same fate – wherever they commit the offence.
Our message must be loud and clear: there must be nowhere to hide.”