European Studies and European Studies Association of Australia and New Zealand (ESAANZ) present

The Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women

Professor Misa Djurkovic (Director, Institute of European Studies, Belgrade)

Abstract

The Council of Europe’s Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention (Istanbul May 2011) is considered the most important document and instrument recently promoted in Europe and now signed by 45 and ratified by 36 countries. It entered into force on August 1, 2014. However it has become an object of division and dispute in Europe among two main groups of feminists and populists. Some members of the Council of Europe have not signed the convention (Azerbaijan and Russia), and a dozen members have refused to ratify it. Turkey, the first to sign and ratify it in 2012, became the first to withdraw in 2021. Western European countries with the exception of the UK have ratified the convention with little controversy. Many Eastern European countries have refused, and where it has been ratified problems have arisen with implementation. The religious aspect has has also emerged with Western and Eastern churches taking very different positions.

In this lecture we will discuss the Convention and the discussions between the Brussels administration and member countries in regard to ratification and implementation.

About the speaker

Professor Misa Djurkovic has served as Director of the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade since 2016. The Institute is one of the most active and respected institutes for international relations at the Balkans, with guests included outstanding scholars like Michael Freeden, Wolfram Kaiser, Michail Delyagin, Horacio Cherutti Guldberg, Claus Offe, Misha Glenny, Philippe Schmitter and Birgul Demirtas. He is author of 16 books and 9 collections of articles, Order, Morality and Human Rights (2001), Political Thought of John Stuart Mill (2006) and Ideology, Parties and International Relations (2010). Djurkovic is considered a leading expert for Balkans and international relations generally in Serbia. Besides books and academic articles, he writes for magazines and newspapers (columnist in leading daily Politika for more than 20 years), and he is very active in different public and legal debates such as family law, immigration and education. He has very good contacts in Russia, Turkey and many EU countries.

Join online via Zoom

Note: this is a hybrid event – see ‘Location’ section for on-campus venue

For more information, contact: Professor Peter Morgan (peter.morgan@sydney.edu.au)

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