Ian Micallef addresses Spanish Senate

A new Council of Europe (CoE) campaign on domestic violence against women was recently launched during a special meeting of the CoE held at the chamber of the Spanish Senate in Madrid.

During the inauguration session, CoE members and Spanish senators were addressed by Dr Ian Micallef in his capacity as president of the Chamber for Local Authorities of the Congress for Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.

In his speech, Dr Micallef said that the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is committed to the fight to end domestic violence against women. He said that in the past, the congress has already taken a strong stand against violence and such crimes as trafficking in human beings.

Furthermore, the congress has sought to counter gender-based discrimination and the unequal balance of power between the sexes, insisting on the importance of women's participation in political life and their individual voting rights as a means of empowerment and an affirmation of their equal role in society.

The session was also addressed by Terry Davies, secretary-general of the CoE, Mr Van der Linden, president of the CoE Parliamentary Assembly, Mr Rojo Garcia, president of the Spanish Senate, and by the Spanish prime minister, Josè Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.