🔗 Share this article

Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

The Baltic nation's lawmakers have voted to withdraw from an international accord created to safeguard women from abuse, covering family violence, following prolonged and intense debates in the legislature.

Several thousand of protesters gathered in the capital this past week to voice disagreement with the decision. The ultimate decision now rests with President Edgars Rinkevics, who must decide whether to endorse or reject the legislation.

Known as the Istanbul Convention, the international accord only took effect in Latvia last twelve months ago, mandating authorities to develop legal frameworks and support services to end all forms of abuse.

Latvia has become the first EU country to initiate the procedure of withdrawing from the treaty. The transcontinental nation withdrew in 2021, a move that rights groups characterized as a major setback for gender equality.

Ideological Controversy and Resistance

The international agreement was approved by the EU in last year, yet traditionalist groups have contended that its focus on gender equality weakens traditional families and advances what they term "gender ideology".

Following a thirteen-hour debate in the Saeima, lawmakers voted 56 to 32 to exit from the treaty, a move sponsored by opposition parties but backed by representatives from one of the three governing partners.

The outcome represents a setback for centre-right Prime Minister Evika Silina, who stood with demonstrators outside the legislature earlier this seven-day period. "We refuse to give up, we will persist in our struggle so that abuse does not triumph," she declared to the assembly.

Political Disagreements and Responses

One of the main parties advocating for the exit is a nationalist party, whose head has urged citizens to choose between what he terms a "natural family" and "non-binary concepts with various gender identities".

The nation's human rights commissioner the rights official urged the treaty not to be made political, while the group the rights organization stated it was "not a danger to Latvian values, it served as a tool to realize them".

The recent vote has sparked broad outcry both inside the country and internationally.

Twenty-two thousand people have signed a national appeal demanding the treaty to be maintained. The gender equality group Centrs Marta has called a protest for the coming week, charging MPs of ignoring the will of the nation's citizens.

Global Worries and Possible Future Actions

The leader of the Council of Europe's legislative body commented that the Baltic state had made a rash choice driven by false information. He described it as an "unprecedented and deeply concerning regression for female equality and fundamental freedoms in Europe".

He added that since Turkey abandoned the treaty four years ago, cases of gender-based killings and abuse targeting females had risen sharply.

Because the vote did not secure a two-thirds support, the president could potentially send back the legislation for further consideration if he has concerns.

President the national leader announced on social media that he would evaluate the vote according to constitutional requirements, "taking into account state and legal factors, instead of belief-based viewpoints".

Last week, another component of the ruling coalition, the reformist party, suggested it would not exclude appealing to the supreme judicial body.

"This decision represents a worrisome situation for women's rights not only in our nation but throughout the continent," commented a human rights activist.

• Domestic abuse rates have been increasing in several European countries
• The Istanbul Convention mandates particular safeguards for survivors of domestic abuse
• Latvia's decision could influence comparable discussions in additional EU countries