🔗 Share this article

Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

The Baltic nation's parliament members have decided to pull out from an international accord created to protect females from violence, including domestic abuse, following extensive and heated debates in the parliament.

Several thousand of demonstrators assembled in Riga this week to voice disagreement with the vote. The final authority now lies with Head of State Edgars Rinkevics, who must decide whether to approve or veto the proposed law.

Known as the Istanbul Convention, the 2011 agreement only took effect in Latvia last twelve months ago, mandating governments to develop legal frameworks and assistance programs to eliminate all types of abuse.

Latvia has become the first European Union member to begin the procedure of withdrawing from the treaty. The transcontinental nation withdrew in 2021, a decision that rights groups described as a significant regression for women's rights.

Ideological Debate and Resistance

The treaty was ratified by the European Union in last year, yet traditionalist factions have argued that its emphasis on equal rights undermines family values and promotes what they term "gender ideology".

Following a thirteen-hour debate in the Latvian parliament, lawmakers decided by a margin of 56-32 to exit from the treaty, a action sponsored by opposition parties but supported 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 parliament earlier this seven-day period. "We will not surrender, we will persist in our struggle so that abuse does not triumph," she stated to the crowd.

Ideological Divisions and Reactions

One of the primary political groups supporting the withdrawal is Latvia First, whose head has urged citizens to choose between what he terms a "natural family" and "gender ideology with multiple sexes".

The nation's ombudswoman the rights official appealed for the treaty not to be politicized, while the group Equality Now asserted it was "not a danger to Latvian values, it served as a tool to realize them".

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

Twenty-two thousand people have endorsed a national appeal calling for the treaty to be preserved. The women's rights organization Centrs Marta has called a protest for next Thursday, accusing MPs of disregarding the wishes of the Latvian people.

International Concerns and Potential Next Steps

The leader of the Council of Europe's legislative body stated that Latvia had made a hasty decision driven by false information. He described it as an "unprecedented and extremely worrying step backward for women's rights and fundamental freedoms in the continent".

He noted that since the transcontinental nation left the convention in 2021, instances of femicide and violence against women had increased significantly.

Because the vote did not achieve a two-thirds majority, the president could potentially send back the bill for additional review if he holds objections.

President Rinkevics stated on digital platforms that he would assess the decision according to constitutional requirements, "considering governmental and judicial factors, rather than ideological or political viewpoints".

Recently, another component of the governing alliance, the Progressives, suggested it would not exclude petitioning to the Constitutional Court.

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

• Family violence rates have been increasing in multiple European countries
• The European treaty requires specific legal protections for survivors of domestic abuse
• Latvia's decision could affect similar debates in other EU countries