MOSCOW, February 18 (RAPSI) – The Russian Federation and the Council of Europe have opened a seminar on interdepartmental cooperation aimed at the development of regional models to be used to prevent and fight violence against women and domestic violence, including that caused by social deprivation, in the city of Yekaterinburg, RAPSI reports on Tuesday.

The event is a joint project of Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, as well as the Council of Europe with contributions on the part of the Foreign Ministry of Russia.

Dozens of participants representing federal and regional authorities, as well as NGOs, are to discuss the results of the implementation of the measures proposed at the first meeting and the development of local cooperation networks and determine best international and national practices in this sphere.

The settlement of the problems to be discussed at the seminar need a complex approach at the federal and regional levels, what requires joint efforts on the part of state bodies, civil society and academic community in order to achieve the desired results, an address of Russia’s Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova communicated to the participants by the senior advisor of the international relations department of the Ombudsman’s Office Olga Goncharenko reads.

According to Moskalkova, it is necessary to develop uniform standards of prevention of violence against women to be used both in the Russian Federation and across all Council of Europe members.

Peter Sich, the Head of Council of Europe Programme Office in Russia, notes that Russian and foreign experts have worked out nine recommendations to be discussed for two days during the seminar. In April, a draft summary document is to be presented.

The project on cooperation in implementation of the National Action Strategy in the interests of women for years 2017 through 2022 is aimed at the prevention of social deprivation of women and violence against them, as well as at the involvement of women in social and political activities.

The first such a seminar was held in the town of Astrakhan last April.