The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

Britain attempts to weaken European domestic violence deal

Leaked documents show the UK questioning definition of violence against women as a violation of huma

By Samira Shackle Published 08 March 2011 9:53

Today, International Women's Day, will see the Home Secretary, Theresa May, launch the government's strategy on tackling violence against women.

Yet documents leaked to the Times (£) show that Britain is trying to water down an international agreement to protect women against domestic and sexual violence.

The Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence has been two years in the making and was ready to be signed off by the 47 member states.

But, in an unprecedented step, Britain has intervened to object to the wording "violence against women is understood as a violation of human rights". Instead, it wants "violence against women constitutes a serious obstacle for women's enjoyment of human rights".

It also wants to alter the document so that it applies only in peacetime, and not during armed conflict – a surprising request, given the widespread international use of rape as a weapon of war.

José Mendes Bota, president of the Committee on Equal Opportunities at the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, said he was "very concerned about UK objections". Reportedly only Russia supports the idea of reopening negotiations.

This intervention seems utterly inexplicable. As Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, points out:

Britain was part of establishing an international consensus in the 1990s that violence against women should be treated as a human rights abuse. So why on earth is the Tory-led government ripping up this now?

A spokesman for the Home Office told the Times only that a "detailed action plan" would be announced later today, including "the action we are taking worldwide" for the first time. It remains to be seen whether today's revelation will be addressed.

Back in July, May said that her ambition was "nothing less than ending violence against women and girls". The government's claims to be strengthening women's rights at home sound distinctly hollow if it is covertly seeking to weaken them internationally.

More from Samira Shackle

View the discussion thread.

16 comments

Thu, 2011-12-15 13:42 — Ian Martin (not verified)

Women look for s man to sacrifice himself. Despite 40 years of "sexual equality", mt femsale graduates main purpose in life is to find a rich man to work for her.
Men are expected to work in Dangerous, Dirty, Difficult jobs while females look for cushy office work.
The state encouraged unilateral divorce, and all this DV legislation is ONLY for women. It is part of the ongoing war against men. We are disposable, only good for paying taxes and fighting wars for the state.
But men are rejecting female behaviour more and more, modern day western females are entitleemnt princesses.

Tue, 2011-03-08 10:57 — jdennis_99 (not verified)

Violence against the person is a violation of their human rights, end of. I don't understand why we should make the point that, specifically, violence against WOMEN is a violation of human rights, implying that violence against MEN is not.

The convention is unnecessary, and so is the Tories' response to it, which paints them in a very poor light.

Violence against the person is a violation of human rights. End of.

Thu, 2011-03-10 01:03 — Daniele1

But there is more disgusting dereliction of duty from the Tories. I have just signed a petition and e-mailed my MP to put pressure on that bitch on the photo and Cameron, to agree to a new EU directive to put a stop to human trafficking.
Yes Britain is not interested in signing! Why oh Why??
I think anything coming from the EU is systematically neglected, rejected and rubbished.
This is a country which perpetuates the myth that it is a champion of human rights.Pure lies and hypocrisy!
Meanwhile, contact "38 degrees" and sign the petition NOW! PLEASE!

Tue, 2011-03-08 12:02 — Rob Carter (not verified)

Today is International Women Enjoy Yourself By Staying At Home Watching DayTime TV While Your Man Works All Day For Little Thanks Day.

Tue, 2011-03-08 13:50 — Pete Jordan (not verified)

Nice to see the first two comments here demonstrating so clearly why International Women's Day is still needed ;)

Tue, 2011-03-08 14:18 — georgia s (not verified)

i am speechless. really shocking and completly defies comprehension.

Tue, 2011-03-08 15:39 — Mohan (not verified)

Rob Carter - I'm guessing that you don't actually have a woman at home, but if you do, given your attitude (or "sense of humour"), I wouldn't assume that she's watching daytime tv...

Wed, 2011-03-09 12:14 — Eddie (not verified)

Jenny, to claim that *all* of those 1 in 4 women are in fact suffering from systematic, sustained physical violence is equally a misuse of statistics. Pot, meet kettle.

Tue, 2011-03-08 17:22 — Oliver Sawtell (not verified)

How unacceptable can our Loony Right wingers get? Do we really have to counter Human Rights to appease the right-wing-nationalists who view everything 'EU' with cynicism and contempt?

Tue, 2011-03-08 17:47 — Ian (not verified)

As usual, anyone pointing out that men are victims of domestic violence too faces implications of being sexist.

Lies!

There is a big scandal in the UK about how many men suffer domestic violence at the hands of their female partners (look at Mankind's site for official statistics).

Anyway, bad work by the Tories here. Any abuse of women or men is an abuse of their human rights.

Tue, 2011-03-08 18:10 — Aine Treanor (not verified)

Rob Carter- congrats on your beautifully articulated sexist and dogmatic comment!

good luck to ever finding a girlfriend.... or any type of companion at that.

Tue, 2011-03-08 20:15 — Jenny (not verified)

The Mankind site is just a bunch of rabid mysogynists who are really annoyed that women aren't as subservient and obedient as they used to be. Men do suffer domestic violence, but not to anything like the saem extent women do, Ian. The crime survey asks if you have been slapped, punched or hit by your partner in the last year. 1 in 4 women say yes, 1 in 6 men do. However, when you drill deeper into the figures and ask if your partner has done any of that 2+ times, 4+ times, 6+ times 12+ times,etc., then you find very very few men answer yes, unless they are living with other men.

1 in 4 women suffer systematic, sustained physical violence and emotional abuse in their home and sometimes, they fight back. When they do, that shows up in the DV figures for men, who can then claim that the women they live with are just as bad as them, because after they'd kicked, punched, shaken and hit them 36 times, their partners slapped them back once, sometimes in self defence.

To quote those numbers as meaning that men are living in the same desperate fear of violence as 1 in 4 women are, is a classic misuse of statistics.

Sun, 2011-03-13 19:14 — Zenith

It is outrageous and hypocritical of this government to think anything else other than domestic abuse being a violation of women’s rights. Does Ms May have any understanding of the term ’violation?’ I wonder how Ms May would interpret this if she were raped, beaten and tortured. And after she suffered this humiliation and degradation, was then made to observe the rape and sexual torture of female members of her family, her mother, aunt’s sisters and daughters. I think there would be a change in her use of language.

Sun, 2011-03-13 19:35 — jie4v7i14

Man and wife/partner do have their spats, and the grey area is required to be large. When an evironment of complex emotional issues is involved, a casual street fight it isn't.

Help and councilling should be the first stop, not the courts.

Wed, 2011-03-09 16:10 — Poppy Bramble (not verified)

None of these comments cast any light on what possible motive there can be for this retrenchment. Can it really be Tory anti-Europe bias? Does anyone know more? Presumably its the work of "International Violence Against Women Champion" Lib-Dem Lynne Featherstone since it seems to be within her remit.