Videos
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
Learn more about the UDHR in the following video:
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
The “CEDAW Quick & Concise” series explains the three main principles of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Principle I: Substantive equality
Principle II: Non-discrimination
Principle III: State obligation
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW)
Tasks for reflection
Watch the video about Sarah’s story and answer the following questions.
(1) What forms of violence does Sarah experience in her marriage?
(2) What could be the consequences of such violence?
(3) Why do many victims not seek help?
(4) What essential services can help victims of violence like Sarah?
(5) How can these services improve help for victims?
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
In the following video, people with disabilities explain the rights under the CRPD:
1951 Refugee Convention
The following video dives deeper into the Refugee Convention:
UN-Resolutions
The following video explains the role of the UN in fighting violence against women:
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Do you know all 17 SDGs?
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
How does the ECHR work?
Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention)
Learn more about the Budapest Convention in the following video:
Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention)
Hear the stories from survivors of child violence including stories about physical violence, sexual violence, and psychological violence to understand its lasting impact on people.
The following Council of Europe documentary “Keep me safe” illustrates good practices taking place in different member states (Iceland, Cyprus and France) through prevention, education and protection of victims, and through promoting child-friendly justice.
Victims’ Rights Directive
Hear the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) Policy Podcast on the revision of the Victim Rights’ Directive:
European Parliament Resolution (16/09/2021)
Frances Fitzgerald, who is leading talks on new rules, explains how the EU intends to tackle violence against women and domestic violence in a chat with Alice Cappelle, a French YouTuber who makes educational content and critical essays about women rights and social issues:
Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention)
Task for reflection
Watch the video and answer the following question:
(1) What forms of violence are addressed by the victims in this video?
The Istanbul Convention was ratified by the European Union on 28 June 2023 and entered into force on 1 October 2023. Learn more about the Istanbul Convention in the following video:
Case studies
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
Below you will find some case studies to help you understand how the ECHR works in practice:
- Airey v. Ireland (1979)
- Opuz v. Turkey (2009)
- Branko Tomašić and others v. Croatia (2009)
- V.C. v. Slovakia (2011)
- B.V. v. Belgium (2017)
- Talpis v. Italy (2017)
Find more case studies on domestic violence here: https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/FS_Domestic_violence_ENG.pdf
Further training materials
Quiz: International standards and legal frameworks in Europe
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
The following images illustrate and explain the articles of the UDHR in a simplified form:
Source: United Nations. Illustrated Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
The Platform of Action covers 12 critical areas of concern:
Source: UN Women. 12 critical areas.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
Take a look at the following images to find out what the other articles cover:
Source: Save the Children’s Child Rights Resource Centre. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: The Children’s Version.
Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention)
The below infographics explain what this means in detail. If the infographics are not visible, the infographics and a brochure on the four pillars of the Istanbul Convention can be found under the provided links.
Task for reflection
Try to answer the following questions about the Istanbul Convention.
(1) How did the Istanbul Convention emerge and who was involved? Which countries have signed the Istanbul Convention? Who monitors its implementation?
(2) Who should be protected by the Istanbul Convention, and how should this happen?
(3) How has the Istanbul Convention been implemented in your country? Where do some people still see a need to improve?
(4) Why do some governments not want to join the Istanbul Convention or have withdrawn from it? What are their arguments? What counter-arguments can you think of?
(5) How have different countries implemented the Istanbul Convention? What is criticised and what is praised?
What myths exist about the Istanbul Convention? What are the facts? Learn more here:
Source: Council of Europe. 2020. Myths and facts about the Istanbul Convention. https://rm.coe.int/ukr-2020-brochure-ic-myths-and-facts-en-25112020/1680a07ee8
National frameworks
National frameworks, documents for their implementation, and entry points to address domestic violence are shown here.