Ó Fearghaíl calls on Govt to sign Istanbul Convention

Published on: 25 September 2015


Fianna Fáil Party Whip Seán Ó Fearghaíl TD has called on the Government to sign the Istanbul Convention without delay. The convention is an international agreement which sets out a framework for Governments to tackle domestic violence and violence against women.

“The Government has an opportunity to show that it is serious about tackling domestic violence by signing the Istanbul Convention,” said Deputy Ó Fearghaíl.

“When I last raised this matter with the Tánaiste Joan Burton last May I pointed out that 35 countries had signed the convention. This figure has now risen to 39 as more and more countries recognise the importance of singing up to the principles contained in the convention.

“There doesn’t seem to be any satisfactory answer from Government for the delay in singing this convention. A number of advocacy groups have pointed out that the delay in signing the convention is ultimately hampering efforts to tackle domestic violence. Women’s Aid in particular have been running a high profile campaign on this issue and have pointed out that signing the convention will send a clear signal that the Government is serious about tackling violence against women.

“When I raised this matter in the Dáil with the Tánaiste this week she could not give any specific detail as to when the Government would sign the convention. I’m concerned that the upcoming General Election might now mean that the signing of the convention will be delayed yet again.

“The Tánaiste needs to ensure that the Istanbul Convention is signed without any further delay, and I am calling on her to set out a specific timeframe as to when this will take place. It would be inexcusable if the convention is not signed under the lifetime of the current Dáil considering the commitments that have been on the issue to date.”

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