accounts, public discussions revealed a strong gender bias and stereotypical attitudes which minimised the seriousness of the problem, downplayed the disproportionately high impact of domestic violence on women, portrayed the Convention as a threat to family values, and often involved non-factual and misleading information about the Convention’s general principles and aims. 28. The Commissioner is concerned by these reports, and in line with his mandate to promote awareness of human rights in Council of Europe member states finds it pertinent to address those misconceptions. 29. First of all, the Commissioner would like to stress that debates on matters of public interest should be based on factual information and evidence-based research in order to provide an accurate assessment of the situation. He further recalls that violence against women and domestic violence remain a persistent problem throughout Europe, including in Latvia. Although perpetrators and victims of domestic violence may be either women or men, in the vast majority of cases it is women who are exposed to violence inflicted by men. This assessment is fully supported by the relevant data compiled by the Latvian government that show the scope of the problem and its disproportionate impact on women. At the same time, the Commissioner would like to stress that the Istanbul Convention extends protection against violence to men by expressly recognising in the preamble that “men may also be victims of domestic violence.” 30. The Istanbul Convention is the first legally-binding instrument in Europe that comprehensively addresses violence against women and domestic violence. In doing so, it builds and expands on the framework of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) as well as other international standards and recommendations. By defining violence against women “as a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination against women,” the Convention makes it clear that violence against women and domestic violence cannot be considered as private matters, and that states have an obligation to prevent violence, protect victims and punish the perpetrators. 31. The Commissioner would like to underline that one of the major strengths of the Istanbul Convention is its focus on prevention through awareness-raising about different manifestations of violence against women. It envisages inclusion in the education system of teaching materials on equality between men and women which are free of gender bias and are adapted to the evolving capacities of learners. These are necessary measures to stop reproducing prejudices and practices based on stereotyped roles for women and men which are often based on the idea of inferiority of women. The principle of gender equality and the rejection of gender stereotypes, such as the “perception of women as primary childcarers and men as primary breadwinners” as grounds for justifying difference in treatment, are also duly recognised in the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights.32 The Commissioner is of the opinion that implementing preventive measures in this area will greatly limit violence in the home. 32. The Istanbul Convention has as its goal to create a Europe free from violence against women. Fully operationalising the Convention’s monitoring mechanism to cover all member states will generate data and advice across Europe, and will facilitate the exchange of expertise and good practices. Another major innovation of the Istanbul Convention is to give a particularly important role to national parliaments to participate in the monitoring of the measures taken for the Convention’s implementation. This can strengthen the role of parliaments and cultivate their sense of ownership of the process at both local and European levels. 33. The Commissioner strongly encourages the authorities to raise awareness in Latvian society about the true aims and principles of the Istanbul Convention. He places special importance on the involvement of political leaders and the media to transmit accurate messages, carry out constructive information campaigns, and provide unbiased coverage of gender equality issues. 32 Case of Konstantin Markin v. Russia, Grand Chamber judgement of 22 March 2012, European Court of Human Rights. 9