Helsinki seminar highlights Council of Europe Campaign against Violence to Women, including Domestic Violence

05.10.2007

Strasbourg, 05.10.2007 – How can governments ensure the best services for women victims of domestic violence? This is the focus of the fifth regional seminar organised as part of the Council of Europe’s Campaign to Combat Violence against Women, including Domestic Violence, to be held on 8 and 9 October 2007 in Espoo, Finland. (Hanasaari – Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre, Hanasaarenranta 5, Espoo)

The seminar will bring together experts from the Baltic and Scandinavian region, along with Russia to discuss how victim’s needs can be identified and how services for victims can be organised effectively at national, regional and local level, and how victims can best be protected.

Finnish Justice Minister Tuija Brax and Council of Europe Deputy General Secretary Maud de Boer-Buquicchio will speak at the opening session.

The seminar is part of a major campaign by the Council of Europe to stop violence to women, including the domestic violence which is estimated to touch 12 to 15% of European women in their homes every day. The aim of the campaign is to criminalise domestic violence, ensure support for victims and foster new attitudes so that domestic violence is no longer tolerated.

For more information on the campaign, please visit: www.coe.int/stopviolence

Contacts :

Cathie Burton, Council of Europe Directorate of Communication

Tel +33 3 88 41 28 93 ; Mobile +33 6 85 11 64 93 ; Cathie.burton@coe.int

Tarja Summa, Information Officer, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health

Tel: +358 (0)9 160 74486 Mobile +358 (0) 50 30 70 254 ; tarja.summa@stm.fi ,