38 countries sign pledge to combat sexual violence

THE joint effort within Europe to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence will be ‘bigger and better’ after most members of the Council of Europe signed the Dublin declaration.

A total of 38 of the 46 member states signed up to adopt the declaration, which will require states to ensure they have strategies aimed at preventing and combating violence against women.

It was formally adopted at a two-day conference at the RDS in Dublin, hosted by Justice Minister Helen McEntee.

Ms McEntee described it as a ‘successful conference’, which 46 member states of the Council of Europe attended.

‘I am really pleased to say that we adopted the Dublin declaration, which really means that the Council of Europe can have bigger and better co-operation among member states to try and tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence,’ the Fine Gael minister said yesterday.

‘Some of the key areas that we focused on in our discussion, but also in the declaration was prevention, looking at our structures and how we can change behaviour by changing our structures, education, looking at perpetrator programmes, which is an area that hasn’t really been focused on too much up until now.

‘But also looking at training professionals – gardaí, health professionals, legal professionals and anybody who has come into contact with victims and perpetrators, so really pleased that we can get consensus today and obviously make sure that what we’ve discussed here continues on after today.’

Ms McEntee would not, however, be drawn into stating which countries did not agree to adopt the Dublin declaration, but said they will work with them to overcome the issues.

‘It is still open and we possibly will have more. We’re still engaging with a few others on it,’ she added, saying she was ‘really pleased that out of 46, we have 38’.

‘Looking at training professionals’