The Luxembourg Parliament yesterday passed the bill approving the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating domestic and gender-based violence.

On 3 July 2018, the Chamber of Deputies ratified the Istanbul Convention, the first internationally binding convention that, through its integrated and multidisciplinary approach, covers all forms of violence against women and girls as well as men and boys. The Convention considers violence against women a human rights offence and an obstacle to the principle of equality between men and women.

Equal Opportunities Minister Lydia Mutsch stressed that the convention focuses "on the essential aspects of prevention, the protection of victims, the prosecution of perpetrators, the criminalszation of acts of violence, the collection of data and statistics, the protection of vulnerable people in the context of immigration and asylum and finally international cooperation."

Luxembourg has a strong social and psychosocial legislation and framework, complemented by numerous awareness raising projects and information campaigns in relation to domestic violence and gender-based violence. This new bill will also see the improvement and generalisation of the care of children, be they victims or witnesses, affected by domestic violence.