Council of Europe experts flag gaps in Ukraine's implementation of Istanbul Convention

Why it matters

This is the first authoritative external assessment of Ukraine's implementation of the Istanbul Convention since ratification in 2022, and it lands while the country is at war. GREVIO's findings — that stalking is not a criminal offence, that many cases require a personal complaint from the victim to proceed, and that sanctions are typically mild — point to specific legislative and enforcement changes Ukraine will face pressure to make. The report also links the war context to a documented rise in severe domestic violence linked to military service, a politically and socially sensitive finding in a country where around 70,000 women serve in the armed forces.

What happened

On 4 September, GREVIO — the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence — published its first baseline evaluation report on Ukraine's implementation of the Istanbul Convention. The assessment was based on Ukraine's state report, additional materials from civil and human rights organisations, and a three-day GREVIO evaluation visit to Kyiv.

GREVIO recognised the steps Ukraine has taken since ratifying the convention in July 2022, including the development of a network of specialised assistance services — shelters, crisis centres, hotlines, and legal and psychological aid — and the training of law enforcement officers. Around 700 multidisciplinary mobile brigades now provide social and psychological support, including in rural areas, and a specialised unit on combating domestic violence has been created in the Office of the Prosecutor General. Ukraine had already adopted a 2017 law on preventing and combating domestic violence and introduced administrative liability for sexual harassment in 2024.

The report's criticisms centred on remaining gaps. GREVIO's largest single criticism was that stalking is still not classified as a criminal offence in Ukraine. The group also found that punishments for violence are typically limited to fines and community service, which it said does not deter repeat offences, and that for some offences a case cannot be opened without a personal complaint from the victim. GREVIO called on Ukraine to ensure consistent implementation of the convention across the country, covering all forms of violence against women foreseen by it, and to apply effective, proportionate and deterrent sanctions, including imprisonment where appropriate.

GREVIO also addressed the impact of Russia's full-scale invasion, noting that constant exposure to violence risks increasing tolerance of violence, including against women, and documenting a growing link between military service experience and severe forms of domestic violence. The group urged strengthened work with service members on violence prevention, alongside existing Ukrainian efforts to address PTSD among military personnel.

Background

Ukraine ratified the Istanbul Convention in July 2022 and it entered into force on 1 November 2022. Before ratification, Ukraine had begun aligning its legislation with the convention, passing a law on preventing and combating domestic violence in 2017 and later introducing administrative liability for sexual harassment in 2024, as well as a consent-based definition of rape. Since ratification, the country has built a network of specialised support services — shelters, crisis centres, hotlines, and legal and psychological aid — strengthened in 2023–2024, and around 700 multidisciplinary mobile brigades provide social and psychological support, including in rural areas. Mobile police response groups on domestic violence have operated since 2018, and after the full-scale Russian invasion the National Police, the Prosecutor's Office and the SBU received large-scale training on investigating conflict-related sexual violence. A specialised unit on combating domestic violence was created in the Office of the Prosecutor General, and a National Training Centre on combating gender-based violence was established. Around 70,000 women serve in the Ukrainian armed forces.