GOVERNMENT plans to ratify a gender violence treaty has been described as “bittersweet” by campaigners as ministers seek to exclude migrant women from key protections. 

Over 80 women and human rights groups have signed a letter urging Home Secretary Priti Patel to ratify the Istanbul Convention, an international charter for the protection of women and girls, in full. 

It comes after Ms Patel confirmed in a written statement last month that the government is planning to pass the treaty into law by the end of July, a move described by campaigners as a “big step towards improved support for survivors, more effective prosecution and gender equality in the UK.”

But groups accused the Home Secretary of seeking to “opt out” of requirements to provide protections for migrant women after she applied for reservations on two provisions of the convention. 

They include article 59, which requires member states to grant residence to victims whose immigration status depends on an abusive partner. 

The letter, signed by the End Violence Against Women (EVAW) coalition, Human Rights Watch, Southall Black Sisters and Rape Crisis England and Wales and sent on Monday, warns that removing article 59 would deny migrant women survivors “life-saving support.” 

“This is in direct opposition to the spirit of the convention, which is firmly based on the principles of equality and non-discrimination,” the letter reads. 

EVAW head of policy and campaigns Rebecca Hitchen said: “The Istanbul Convention provides a gold standard in preventing and combatting violence against women and girls. 

“Making the Istanbul Convention law with an exception and exclusion in regards to migrant women creates a two-tier system where some women are deemed more deserving of protection than others. 

“We believe all women should be able to access support when experiencing violence and abuse, no matter their migrant status, and demand that the government ratify the convention in full.”

Southall Black Sisters head of policy and research Hannana Siddiqui said: “All women have a human right to protection from abuse. 

“Despite the welcomed ratification of the [Istanbul Convention], the reservation would continue to present a stark choice to many migrant women: domestic abuse or deportation and destitution?” 

In her statement on May 17, Ms Patel said that she was seeking a reservation on article 59 in order to pass the treaty into law before the conclusion of the Support for Migrant Victims pilot scheme.