🔗 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 protect females from abuse, covering domestic abuse, following prolonged and heated debates in the legislature.

Several thousand of demonstrators gathered in Riga this past week to voice disagreement with the vote. The ultimate authority now rests with Head of State Edgars Rinkevics, who must decide whether to endorse or veto the proposed law.

Known as the Istanbul Convention, the international accord only took effect in Latvia last twelve months ago, mandating governments to establish laws and support services to eliminate all types of abuse.

Latvia has become the first EU country to initiate the procedure of exiting from the convention. The transcontinental nation withdrew in 2021, a move that rights groups characterized as a significant regression for gender equality.

Political Controversy and Resistance

The international agreement was approved by the EU in last year, yet conservative groups have contended that its focus on equal rights undermines family values and promotes what they term "gender ideology".

Following a lengthy discussion in the Saeima, MPs decided 56 to 32 to exit from the convention, a move sponsored by opposition parties but backed by politicians from one of the three coalition parties.

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

Ideological Divisions and Responses

One of the main parties advocating for the withdrawal is a nationalist party, whose leader has urged the public to select from what he terms a "natural family" and "non-binary concepts with multiple sexes".

Latvia's human rights commissioner the rights official appealed for the treaty not to be made political, while the group Equality Now asserted it was "not a danger to national principles, it was an instrument to achieve them".

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

22,000 people have endorsed a national appeal demanding the treaty to be maintained. The gender equality group the rights center has announced a demonstration for next Thursday, accusing lawmakers of ignoring the wishes 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 rash decision fueled by false information. He described it as an "unprecedented and extremely worrying regression for women's rights and human rights in the continent".

He added that since the transcontinental nation left the treaty in 2021, instances of gender-based killings and violence against women had risen sharply.

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

Head of State Rinkevics announced on social media that he would evaluate the decision according to legal requirements, "considering state and legal considerations, instead of ideological or political perspectives".

Last week, another component of the ruling coalition, the Progressives, indicated it would not exclude petitioning to the supreme judicial body.

"This decision represents a worrisome situation for women's rights not only in Latvia but across the continent," commented a human rights advocate.

• Family violence statistics have been rising in several European nations
• The European treaty requires specific legal protections for victims of domestic abuse
• The nation's decision could influence similar discussions in additional member states