🔗 Share this article

Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

The Baltic nation's parliament members have voted to withdraw from an international accord designed to protect females from violence, covering 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 authority now rests with President Edgars Rinkevics, who must determine whether to approve or veto the legislation.

Referred to as the Istanbul Convention, the 2011 agreement only became active in the Baltic state last year, mandating governments to develop laws and assistance programs to end all forms of violence.

The Baltic nation has become the first EU country to initiate the procedure of withdrawing from the convention. The transcontinental nation pulled out in two years ago, a move that human rights organizations characterized as a significant regression for women's rights.

Political Debate and Opposition

The treaty was ratified by the European Union in 2023, yet traditionalist factions have argued that its focus on equal rights weakens traditional families and advances what they term "gender ideology".

Following a thirteen-hour discussion in the Latvian parliament, lawmakers voted by a margin of 56-32 to withdraw from the treaty, a action sponsored by political opponents but backed by politicians from one of the three governing partners.

The outcome represents a setback for moderate conservative government leader the nation's PM, who joined protesters outside parliament earlier this seven-day period. "We refuse to give up, we will continue fighting so that abuse does not triumph," she stated to the assembly.

Ideological Disagreements and Reactions

One of the primary political groups advocating for the exit is a nationalist party, whose head has called on citizens to choose between what he terms a "traditional family unit" and "non-binary concepts with multiple sexes".

Latvia's ombudswoman the rights official appealed for the treaty not to be politicized, while the group the rights organization asserted it was "not a danger to Latvian values, it was an instrument to achieve them".

The Thursday's decision has sparked broad outcry both within the country and internationally.

Twenty-two thousand individuals have endorsed a national appeal demanding the treaty to be maintained. The gender equality group the rights center has announced a demonstration for the coming week, charging MPs of disregarding the will of the Latvian people.

Global Worries and Possible Future Actions

The leader of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly commented that the Baltic state had made a rash choice fueled by false information. He characterized it as an "unprecedented and extremely worrying step backward for women's rights and human rights in Europe".

He noted that since Turkey left the treaty in 2021, cases of gender-based killings and abuse targeting females had risen sharply.

Because the vote did not achieve a two-thirds support, the president could possibly return the legislation for additional review if he has objections.

President the national leader stated on social media that he would assess the vote according to constitutional principles, "considering state and legal factors, rather than belief-based viewpoints".

Recently, another component of the governing alliance, the Progressives, suggested it would not rule out petitioning to the supreme judicial body.

"This vote represents a concerning development for gender equality not only in our nation but across the continent," stated a rights advocate.

• Domestic abuse rates have been increasing in several European countries
• The European treaty requires specific safeguards for survivors of gender-based violence
• Latvia's decision could affect similar discussions in additional EU countries