The Istanbul Convention is a European treaty to protect women and girls from violence, which came into force one year ago and has been ratified by 18 European countries. Ratification will legally bind the UK to the highest standards for prevention, protection, and accountability for disregarding women's race, immigration and social status. In January 2014, Cameron promised to ratify the convention.
"The prime minister and his new government should stop hiding from past promises," the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement.
The watchdog pointed out that there are critical gaps in the way the United Kingdom is countering violence against women and girls.
According to the HRW, more than 107,000 violent crimes against women, such as rape and domestic abuse, were prosecuted in the United Kingdom over the course of the past year. However, the report noted that the record number of those prosecuted is still far fewer than the actual number of committed crimes.
