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CoE condemns wave of sexual violence in European cities

Xinhua, January 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting for its winter session in Strasbourg, condemned "without reservation" the recent violence committed against women in European cities, and reminded media of their responsibilities, in a resolution adopted on Thursday.

The events which took place in Cologne, Germany, on New Year's Eve, which led more than 500 women to file complaints of sexual violence, have shocked the country, region and the world. Similar acts have been observed elsewhere, notably in Hamburg, as well as in Austria. In Sweden, police have been charged with hiding similar offenses going back to 2014 and 2015.

"Violence within crowds represents another dimension of violence against women," the assembly said, calling on the media to cover such acts honestly and in an objective manner, without stigmatizing a segment of the population.

PACE deplored late reporting of the events in the media and the slowness of authorities to respond to the events.

The resolution called on the media to be wary: "Partial, late or biased reporting on crimes can feed conspiracy theories, fuel hatred against a part of the population and contribute to mistrust in the authorities and the media."

The media "should not, in order to ensure political correctness, hide the truth from the general public," added PACE members, highlighting the dual challenge of ethical journalism which consists of presenting these sexual assaults without feeding extremism or amalgams in a tense political climate.

PACE members asked the 47 members nations of the Council of Europe to work fully on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, which invites signatories to adopt national legislations for the fight against violence against women and domestic violence. Endit