The 47 member states of the Council of Europe met in Istanbul last week to debate measures to strengthen women’s rights.

The result is a convention on the protection of women’s rights, which has already been signed by 13 member states. The document obliges the signing states to put into place measures to protect women against violence such as domestic and sexual violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation. The states agreed to put into place telephone hotlines, women’s shelters, consultation offices and medical services for women affected by gender based violence. Additionally , measures to prevent violence against women are laid down in the convention.

Human rights activist welcomed the convention and urged all European governments to sign and ratify the document as quickly as possible.

So far, the document was signed by the governments of Germany, Austria, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, Iceland, Luxemburg, Montenegro, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey and Slovakia. In those states, the content of the convention will now have to be ratified by the national parliaments in order to take effect.

20 to 25 percent of all women living in Europe experience violence or sexual violence at some point in their lives. In Turkey, the host state of the conference, this figure is significantly higher at 50 percent.