🔗 Share this article

Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

Latvia's lawmakers have decided to withdraw from an global treaty designed to protect females from violence, covering domestic abuse, following extensive and intense discussions in the parliament.

Thousands of protesters gathered in Riga this past week to voice disagreement with the vote. The final authority now rests with Head of State Edgars Rinkevics, who must decide whether to approve or reject the proposed law.

Known as the Istanbul Convention, the 2011 agreement only took effect in Latvia last year, requiring governments to establish legal frameworks and support services to end all types of abuse.

The Baltic nation has become the initial EU country to begin the process of exiting from the treaty. The transcontinental nation withdrew in 2021, a move that rights groups described as a significant setback for gender equality.

Political Controversy and Resistance

The treaty was approved by the European Union in last year, yet traditionalist groups have argued that its focus on gender equality weakens family values and advances what they term "non-traditional gender concepts".

Following a thirteen-hour debate in the Latvian parliament, lawmakers decided by a margin of 56-32 to withdraw from the convention, a move sponsored by political opponents but backed by politicians from one of the three coalition parties.

The result represents a defeat for moderate conservative Prime Minister Evika Silina, who stood with demonstrators outside parliament earlier this week. "We will not surrender, we will continue fighting so that abuse does not triumph," she stated to the crowd.

Political Disagreements and Reactions

One of the primary political groups supporting the withdrawal is a nationalist party, whose leader has called on citizens to choose between what he terms a "natural family" and "gender ideology with multiple sexes".

The nation's human rights commissioner Karina Palkova urged the treaty not to be made political, while the organization the rights organization stated it was "not a danger to national principles, it served as a tool to realize them".

The recent decision has sparked broad outcry both within the country and internationally.

22,000 people have endorsed a national petition calling for the convention to be preserved. The gender equality group Centrs Marta has announced a demonstration for next Thursday, charging lawmakers of ignoring the will of the Latvian people.

Global Worries and Possible Future Actions

The head of the European organization's parliamentary assembly commented that the Baltic state had made a hasty choice driven by misinformation. He characterized it as an "unprecedented and extremely worrying step backward for female equality and human rights in the continent".

He added that since Turkey left the convention four years ago, instances of gender-based killings and abuse targeting females had risen sharply.

Because the vote did not achieve a supermajority support, the head of state could possibly return the bill for additional review if he has concerns.

President the national leader stated on social media that he would evaluate the vote according to constitutional requirements, "considering state and legal factors, instead of ideological or political viewpoints".

Recently, another component of the governing alliance, the Progressives, suggested it would not exclude appealing to the supreme judicial body.

"This vote represents a worrisome situation for women's rights not only in Latvia but throughout the continent," commented a rights activist.

• Domestic abuse rates have been increasing in multiple EU nations
• The Istanbul Convention mandates particular safeguards for survivors of domestic abuse
• The nation's vote could affect similar discussions in other EU countries