If you live in Europe, your country is likely a member of the Council of Europe, a 46-member body founded in 1949 that ostensibly promotes democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. The council has had a profound impact on international law through frameworks including the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Istanbul Convention on violence against women, which are now embedded in the laws of European states.
The council’s laws, unlike those promulgated by the better-known European Union, are optional, but they are nonetheless sweeping in their cultural influence. Member states can sign on (and most do), but there is no mechanism to enforce compliance, which makes the council’s influence easily overlooked by the public. But it is closely watched by lobbyists who know that what fails at the national level can often be pushed from the top down by international institutions.
One of the council’s latest initiatives, the Gender Equality Strategy 2024-2029, should have been a clear roadmap for women’s rights. Instead, it is a fog of ideological confusion, where the meaning of “gender” drifts between reality and ideology, leaving women’s rights at the mercy of wordplay. ...
Article in full at https://www.compactmag.com/article/how-europe-lost-the-plot-on-womens-rights/