Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for your support so far. We’re delighted to say that yesterday, 21 July 2022, the UK Government ratified the Istanbul Convention!

This is a historic moment for women and girls across the UK. The landmark decision is set to improve women’s lives for generations to come, helping to ensure better protections and support for survivors of violence across the UK.

For eight long years we’ve been campaigning as a coalition with over 80 women's sector organisations, experts, parliamentarians, volunteers and supporters like you, and we’ve finally got there. We couldn’t have done this without you. 

Despite this step forward, the news is bittersweet. The Government has decided to ratify the Convention but include reservations on two key articles. This includes opting out of providing vital support for migrant women. We’re deeply concerned to hear this. The protection and safety that the Convention brings won’t apply to all women. Migrant women in particular will be denied life-saving support. 

We’re calling for the Government to remove the reservations and in the coming months will be supporting the work of Southall Black Sisters (@SBSisters) and Latin American Women’s Rights Service (@lawrsuk) on this. Please follow and support these organisations as they call for the reservations to be removed.

In the meantime, a HUGE thank you to you, for signing our petition and being part of the campaign to get to this point. Join us in celebrating by sharing our posts on social media or read more in our blog. 

Thank you for helping us to take steps towards creating a safer place for women across the UK. 

Lizzie, Robyn, Kathryn and the IC Change team