Skopje, 15 December 2021 (MIA) – Justice Minister Bojan Marichikj took part on Wednesday in the public debate of the Parliamentary Committee on Equal Opportunities between Women and Men on draft law amending the Criminal Code and stressed the importance of harmonizing the national legal framework with the Istanbul Convention and the application of this important international document in fighting violence against women. “The process of drafting the legislative changes we’re publicly debating today was fully inclusive. We also took into consideration recommendations issued by relevant UN bodies, including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, as well as reports from the Council of Europe’s committee in charge of monitoring the implementation of the Istanbul Convention - GREVIO,” Marichikj said. According to him, by ratifying the Convention, North Macedonia demonstrated real and honest political will to deal with violence against women, the Justice Ministry said in a press release. “The changes discussed today refer to amendments to the Criminal Code and send the message that the government is working on meeting certain obligations for protecting women from violence, by applying a holistic approach to their implementation,” the press release read.