The Istanbul Convention is an international and legally binding treaty of the Council of Europe on preventing and responding to violence against women and domestic violence. It was adopted on 11 May 2011, and Iceland signed it on the same day. It is the first treaty to address this issue in a comprehensive way.

The main goals of the Convention are to:

• protect the rights and safety of people who experience violence,

• strengthen prevention, public education, and professional training,

• improve services and support options for survivors,

• provide appropriate treatment and support for perpetrators.

The Convention places clear obligations on states to work systematically and in a coordinated way to eliminate violence.

In March 2016, Iceland took the first step toward ratifying the Convention by passing legal amendments related to domestic violence, forced marriages, and forced sterilization. The Convention was fully ratified on 26 April 2018.

The importance of the Istanbul Convention lies in its demand for real action. It defines violence against women as a human rights violation and a societal problem that requires shared responsibility.