Violence against women is a widespread societal problem with implications for human rights, the economy and public health. The thesis evaluates the contribution of the Czech Women's Lobby (CWL) – a coalition of Czech women's organizations – in advocating for action against violence, focusing on its role in signing and ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention). It sees violence as a complex p... show full abstractViolence against women is a widespread societal problem with implications for human rights, the economy and public health. The thesis evaluates the contribution of the Czech Women's Lobby (CWL) – a coalition of Czech women's organizations – in advocating for action against violence, focusing on its role in signing and ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention). It sees violence as a complex public policy problem and the Convention as a tool for addressing it. It applies a combination of discourse analysis of articles from the public news portal ČT24 and the Multiple Streams Theory (MST). The research found that the CWL contributed significantly to media coverage of the issue of violence against women but its impact on signing and ratification was limited. Obstacles identified include the abolition of the position of Minister of Human Rights, low influence in government advisory bodies, and lack of a media strategy. The thesis confirms the impact of information, or more specifically, disinformation, on the lobbying process. It highlights the need for wider cooperation between actors and suggests further research. |