Malta and 13 other countries have ratified the Council of Europe convention on preventing and fighting violence against women, which came into force yesterday.

The Istanbul Convention binds governments to adopt policies that classify all forms of violence against women as a violation of human rights.

The forms of violence covered include psychological, physical and sexual, including rape, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, forced abortion and forced sterilisation, as well as stalking and sexual harassment.

In line with the convention, provisions to address female genital mutilation, forced marriage and forced sterilisation have already been included in the Maltese Criminal Code.

An inter-ministerial committee, which includes representatives from the Commission on Domestic Violence, the Family and Civil Liberties ministries and other experts, has been set up to review national legislation and propose legal amendments, initiatives and measures.