🔗 Share this article

Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

Latvia's parliament members have decided to pull out from an global treaty created to safeguard women from violence, including domestic abuse, following extensive and intense discussions in the legislature.

Several thousand of demonstrators assembled in the capital this week to voice disagreement with the decision. The final authority now lies with President the nation's president, who must decide whether to endorse or reject the legislation.

Known as the Istanbul Convention, the 2011 agreement only became active in Latvia last twelve months ago, mandating authorities to develop laws and assistance programs to end all forms of violence.

Latvia has become the first EU country to begin the procedure of exiting from the convention. The transcontinental nation withdrew in two years ago, a decision that rights groups characterized as a major setback for gender equality.

Ideological Controversy and Resistance

The international agreement was ratified by the European Union in last year, yet traditionalist groups have contended that its emphasis on gender equality weakens traditional families and promotes what they term "non-traditional gender concepts".

Following a lengthy discussion in the Latvian parliament, MPs decided 56 to 32 to exit from the convention, a action sponsored by political opponents but backed by politicians from one of the three coalition parties.

The result represents a setback for moderate conservative government leader the nation's PM, who stood with demonstrators outside the legislature earlier this week. "We refuse to give up, we will continue fighting so that abuse does not triumph," she declared to the crowd.

Ideological Disagreements and Reactions

One of the primary parties supporting the withdrawal is a nationalist party, whose head has urged the public to choose between what he terms a "traditional family unit" and "gender ideology with multiple sexes".

Latvia's human rights commissioner the rights official urged the agreement not to be made political, while the organization the rights organization asserted it was "not a threat to national principles, it served as a tool to realize them".

The recent decision has provoked widespread protest both within the country and internationally.

22,000 people have signed a national petition demanding the treaty to be maintained. The women's rights organization the rights center has announced a demonstration for the coming week, charging MPs of disregarding the will of the Latvian people.

International Concerns and Possible Future Actions

The head of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly stated that the Baltic state had made a hasty decision driven by misinformation. He described it as an "never-before-seen and extremely worrying regression for female equality and human rights in the continent".

He added that since the transcontinental nation abandoned the convention four years ago, instances of femicide and violence against women had risen sharply.

Because the vote did not secure a supermajority support, the president could potentially send back the legislation for additional consideration if he holds concerns.

President the national leader announced on digital platforms that he would evaluate the vote according to legal principles, "taking into account governmental and judicial considerations, instead of belief-based viewpoints".

Last week, another component of the ruling coalition, the Progressives, indicated it would not exclude petitioning to the Constitutional Court.

"This decision represents a concerning situation for women's rights not only in Latvia but across Europe," stated a rights activist.

• Domestic abuse statistics have been rising in multiple EU countries
• The Istanbul Convention requires specific legal protections for survivors of gender-based violence
• The nation's vote could affect similar discussions in additional member states