OT 12:15:01 15-10-2015 KL1214OT.015 Council of Europe Communications - прессъобщение . . . Council of Europe Communications T +33(0)388412560 www.coe.int pressunit@coe.int Ref. DC 139 (2015) International conference calls for equal access to justice for women Bern, 15.10.2015 - An international conference "Towards guaranteeing equal access of women to justice" organised by the Council of Europe Gender Equality Commission and the Swiss Federal Office for Gender Equality calls for specific steps to guarantee equal access of women to justice. Around 170 experts from over 40 countries are in Bern until tomorrow to share their experiences and discuss such measures at the conference which is open to the media (15-16 October, Kursaal Congress centre - Kornhausstrasse 3). Women's limited access to justice has not yet been sufficiently studied. Improved national statistics and data availability regarding judicial and administrative practice are necessary. To illustrate, from 1998 to 2006, less than 20 per cent of all applicants at the European Court of Human Rights were female. Moreover, men make up more than 70 per cent of all applicants in gender discrimination cases. "Access to justice is not only a fundamental right in itself, but it is also a right that is instrumental to achieving other - equally fundamental - rights", said Sne?ana Samard?i?-Markovi?, Director General of Democracy, Council of Europe, in her opening address. Observance and protection of women's human rights can only be guaranteed when women can assert these rights freely in court. An important requirement for this is that women have unimpeded access to justice authorities and legal counsel, and that they can expect adequate and effective sanctions when their rights have been violated. "Equal access to justice is crucial for the realisation of gender equality in all areas of life", added Swiss Federal Councillor Alain Berset in his opening address. The conference is the third and last event in a series of international conferences on this subject. The aim is to share ideas on how research gaps can be filled, and to eliminate obstacles hindering access to justice. Equal access to justice for women is a key issue in the Council of Europe Gender Equality Strategy 2014-1017. Contact : Panos Kakaviatos, Spokesperson/Media officer, Tel. +33 6 98 37 64 04 /КЛ/