The Rt Hon Theresa May MP

Secretary of State for the Home Department

Home Office

Direct Communications Unit

2 Marsham Street

London SW1P 4DF

Date: August 13^th, 2013

Dear Theresa,

I am writing to you about the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, which the UK has signed but not ratified. The Convention has currently been signed by thirty countries but ratified by only five, and cannot be brought into effect until it has been ratified by ten countries. The Convention aims to prevent violence against women, protect victims of violence and end the impunity of perpetrators.

The UK signed the Convention last year, after which the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister issued a statement confirming that they planned to work towards ratifying the treaty and incorporating it into UK law. They also described the “utter scandal” of nearly one million women in the UK experiencing domestic abuse each year, and made a commitment to “working harder than ever to bring this violence to an end”.[1]

While the Convention alone cannot end violence against women, its ratification would see governments across Europe taking action to reduce incidences of these crimes. This could include setting up specialised support services and medical assistance, ensuring that law enforcement agencies respond immediately to calls for assistance, and setting up a monitoring mechanism to ensure that the provisions of the Convention are put into practice.

I am anxious for the Convention to be brought into effect as soon as possible in order to help prevent violence against women. By ratifying, the UK will not only be moving the Convention closer towards coming into effect, but also sending a strong message of zero tolerance of domestic violence, both to people living in the UK and to other EU countries which may be delaying ratification.

I would be grateful if you could update me on the progress the Government are making towards ratifying the Convention, and if you would let me know when the Government expect to be in a position to do so. It appears to me that the present time would be particularly apposite for the Government to progress towards ratification, as the current backlash against threats of violence made on Twitter towards high-profile female campaigners is raising awareness of the importance of tackling this form of crime.

I am aware that domestic legislation may need to be brought in before the UK is in a position to ratify. If this is the case, perhaps you could update me on the progress of this legislation, what remains to be done, and the Government’s predicted timeframe for its completion.

I look forward to receiving your response.

Yours sincerely,