CEE should redouble efforts to end violence against women May 10, 2021 Ten years after of the landmark declaration of the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention on women’s rights, a significant number of countries in Central and Eastern Europe have yet to ratify the treaty. Others are considering pulling out. Council of Europe member states should reinforce efforts to combat violence against women by swiftly ratifying and carrying out a landmark regional convention on women’s rights, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). HRW believes that governments should take urgent steps to counter misinformation about the convention and to fight dangerous myths and discriminatory stereotypes that undermine work to curb violence against women.