🔗 Share this article

Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

The Baltic nation's lawmakers have voted to pull out from an global treaty designed to safeguard women from violence, including domestic abuse, following extensive and heated debates in the parliament.

Several thousand of protesters gathered in Riga this past week to oppose the decision. The final decision now lies with Head of State Edgars Rinkevics, who must decide whether to endorse or veto the legislation.

Referred to as the Istanbul Convention, the 2011 agreement only became active in Latvia last twelve months ago, requiring authorities to develop laws and support services to eliminate all types of abuse.

The Baltic nation has become the initial European Union member to initiate the procedure of withdrawing from the treaty. The transcontinental nation withdrew in 2021, a move that human rights organizations characterized as a significant setback for women's rights.

Ideological Debate and Opposition

The treaty was approved by the EU in 2023, yet conservative groups have argued that its emphasis on equal rights weakens traditional families and promotes what they term "non-traditional gender concepts".

Following a thirteen-hour discussion in the Latvian parliament, MPs decided by a margin of 56-32 to withdraw from the convention, a action proposed by opposition parties but backed by politicians from one of the three governing partners.

The result represents a defeat for moderate conservative government leader Evika Silina, who joined protesters outside the legislature earlier this week. "We refuse to give up, we will continue fighting so that violence does not triumph," she stated to the crowd.

Ideological Divisions and Responses

One of the main political groups advocating for the withdrawal is a nationalist party, whose head has urged citizens to choose between what he terms a "traditional family unit" and "gender ideology with multiple sexes".

Latvia's human rights commissioner Karina Palkova appealed for the treaty not to be made political, while the group Equality Now stated it was "not a threat to national principles, it served as a tool to achieve them".

The recent vote has provoked broad outcry both within Latvia and abroad.

Twenty-two thousand individuals have signed a national appeal calling for the convention to be preserved. The gender equality group Centrs Marta has called a protest for next Thursday, charging lawmakers of disregarding the will of the nation's citizens.

International Concerns and Potential Future Actions

The head of the Council of Europe's legislative body commented that Latvia had made a hasty choice fueled by false information. He characterized it as an "unprecedented and extremely worrying regression for women's rights and human rights in Europe".

He noted that since Turkey left the treaty in 2021, instances of gender-based killings and abuse targeting females had increased significantly.

Because the vote did not achieve a supermajority support, the president could possibly send back the bill for additional consideration if he holds objections.

President Rinkevics stated on social media that he would evaluate the decision according to legal principles, "taking into account state and legal considerations, instead of ideological or political viewpoints".

Recently, another component of the ruling coalition, the reformist party, suggested it would not rule out petitioning to the Constitutional Court.

"This decision represents a worrisome situation for gender equality not only in Latvia but across Europe," commented a human rights activist.

• Family violence rates have been increasing in multiple European countries
• The European treaty mandates specific safeguards for victims of gender-based violence
• The nation's vote could affect similar debates in other member states