Ratification of the Istanbul Convention

That this House notes that 8 June 2022 will mark ten years since the UK signed the Istanbul Convention on protecting women and girls from violence; commends the work by IC Change and other groups in campaigning for the UK’s ratification of the treaty; welcomes the recent announcement by the Home Secretary that the bulk of the treaty will be ratified by 31 July 2022; acknowledges the work by the former hon. Member for Banff and Buchan, Eilidh Whiteford, in proposing and having passed by Parliament in 2017 the legislation enshrining the requirement to ratify the convention; recognises the imperative for national and international action to tackle violence against women and girls; further notes with concern that two reservations have been attached to ratification, including provisions aimed at protecting migrant women and children; believes that all women should mean all women and that migrant communities deserve equal protection under the Convention; and looks forward to the full ratification of the Convention with no reservations as quickly as possible.