“Stop the backlash – Stop domestic violence” is a side event of the official program of the Finnish EU-Presidency. The aim of the conference is to make the ongoing backlash in Europe visible and to show the decisionmakers that this needs urgent actions throughout Europe. The conference is for decisionmakers at EU and member state level, European NGO’s and Finnish participants – all by invitation only. The aim is to have both NGO and decisionmaker representation from each EU-member country.
This conference is set to assess the current situation of domestic and intimate partner violence, examine the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in EU member states, and consider means to prevent and stop domestic violence and violence against women. The first conference day focuses on the perspective of victims, the second day on the perspective of children.
Organizers: Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters, in cooperation with Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and Women against Violence Europe (WAVE) network.
Program and registration: Please scroll down this page and click open separate sections for program, registration and accommodation recommendations.
Contact
Riitta Särkelä, Secretary General , Federaton of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters, riitta.sarkela@etkl.fi, tel. +358 50 63 663
Sari Laaksonen, Development Director,
sari.laaksonen@etkl.fi, tel. +358 40 746 9984
Johanna Matikka, Advisor, Interpersonal Violence Prevention
johanna.matikka@etkl.fi, tel. +358 50 373 8506
Practical information:
Tuula Turppo, assistant
tel. +358 50 599 8968, tuula.turppo@etkl.fi
Riitta Savolainen, assistant
tel. +358 40 700 6533, riitta.savolainen@etkl.fi
Program
Tuesday 26.11.2019
9.00 Coffee and registration
10.00 Opening session
Opening words
Tuula Haatainen, president, The Federation of Mother and child homes and Shelters
Welcoming words
Tarja Halonen, President, former president of Finland
Backlash in Europe: analyzing anti-gender movement
Neil Datta, secretary, European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights
The obligations and possibilities of the Istanbul Convention
Marceline Naudi, Head of Department, Gender Studies, Faculty for Social Wellbeing, University of Malta, Chair of GREVIO
12.00 Lunchbreak
13.15 Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the changing political atmosphere
Experiences of survivor
Laura Manninen, author, Finland
Decisionmakers and NGOs from different EU member states
Ana María Pastor Julián, First Deputy Speaker, Congress of Deputies, Spain
Kristiina Luht, Head of Victim Support Policy, Ministry of Social Affairs, Estonia
Sara Moreira, Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality, Portugal
Olga Persson, Secretary General, Unizon, Sweden
Branislava Marvánová Vargová, WAVE board member, Director of ROSA Centre for women, Czech Republic
15.00 Coffeebreak
15.45 From words to action – how do we stop domestic violence in European Union? Panel discussion
moderators Riitta Särkelä, secretary General, The Federation of Mother and child homes and Shelters and Pia Puu Oksanen, senior advisor, Amnesty Finland
Sirpa Pietikäinen, Member of the European Parliament (TBC)
Johanna Nelles, administrator of Violence against Women Division, Council of Europe
Thomas Blomqvist, Minister of equality, Finland
Monika Platek, Head of Criminology Department, Warsaw University
17.00 End of the day
18.00- 19.30 Reception by City of Helsinki, City Hall
Wednesday 27.11.2019
9.30 Children’s rights and domestic violence
Tiina Astola, Director-General for Justice and Consumers
H.E Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Eurochild, Former President of Malta
How does domestic violence effect the development of children
moderator of the discussion Sari Laaksonen, Development Director, the Federation of Mother and child homes and Shelters
Elina Pekkarinen, the ombudsman for children, Finland
Linnea Karlsson, MD, PhD, Adjunct Professor, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital
Edda Björk Thordardottir, PH.d.in public health, BS in psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland
11.30 Lunchbreak
13.00 Listening and helping children who have experienced domestic violence
Expert by experience Onni Westlund
Tiina Muukkonen, chief of development, The Federation of Mother and child homes and Shelters
Taking violence into account in custody decisions – call for action from the field
Enikő Pap, legal expert, NANE Women’s Rights Association, Hungary
14.30 Helsinki Declaration – message to the Finnish and Croatian EU-presidencies
Riitta Särkelä, Secretary General, The Federation of Mother and child homes and Shelters
Pille Tsopp-Pagan, President, Women Against Violence Europe
Representative of Finnish EU Presidency, Pekka Haavisto, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Representative of Croatian EU Presidency, Maria Pletikosa, State Secretary, Ministry for Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy
15.00 End of the Conference
Linnea Karlsson, How does domestic violence affect the development of children
Tiina Muukkonen, Listening and helping children who have experienced domestic violence
Marceline Naudi, The Obligations and Possibilities of the Istanbul Convention
Eniko Pap, Taking violence into account in custody and visitation rights decisions
Olga Persson, Sweden, Implementation of the Istanbul Convention in the changin political atmosphere
Edda Thordardottir, How does domestic violence affect the development of children
Onni Westlund, Listening and helping children who have experienced domestic violence
More conference materials will be added soon.