States' Due Diligence Obligations to Protect Women from Violence: A European Perspective in Light of the 2011 CoE Istanbul Convention

The purpose of this article is to analyze States' due diligence obligations in the adoption of measures to prevent and suppress violence against women, in light of the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention, adopted in 2011, which will enter into force on 1 August 2014. It will be demonstrated that the trend at the international level is to push the boundaries of the standard of due diligence, in order to encompass states' obligations to adopt measures that are aimed at responding to the specific victim's harm, including social support, and at creating the legal (and cultural) background to eliminate violence.