🔗 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 violence, including family violence, following extensive and heated discussions in the parliament.

Several thousand of demonstrators assembled in the capital this past week to oppose the vote. The final authority now lies with Head of State Edgars Rinkevics, who must determine 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, requiring authorities to establish legal frameworks and support services to eliminate all types of violence.

The Baltic nation has become the initial European Union member to begin the procedure of withdrawing from the treaty. Turkey withdrew in 2021, a decision that human rights organizations characterized as a major setback for gender equality.

Political Controversy and Opposition

The treaty was ratified by the European Union in last year, yet conservative factions have contended that its focus on gender equality undermines traditional families and promotes what they term "non-traditional gender concepts".

Following a thirteen-hour debate in the Saeima, MPs decided 56 to 32 to withdraw from the treaty, a move proposed by political opponents but supported by politicians from one of the three governing partners.

The outcome represents a defeat for centre-right government leader the nation's PM, who joined protesters outside parliament earlier this seven-day period. "We will not surrender, we will persist in our struggle so that violence will not prevail," she stated to the crowd.

Ideological Disagreements and Responses

One of the primary parties advocating for the withdrawal is Latvia First, whose head has urged citizens to select from what he terms a "traditional family unit" and "gender ideology with multiple sexes".

Latvia's ombudswoman Karina Palkova urged the treaty not to be made political, while the organization Equality Now stated it was "not a threat to national principles, it served as a tool to achieve them".

The Thursday's vote has provoked widespread protest both within the country and abroad.

22,000 people have signed a national appeal demanding the convention to be maintained. The women's rights organization Centrs Marta has called a protest for the coming week, charging MPs of ignoring the wishes of the nation's citizens.

Global Worries and Potential Future Actions

The leader of the Council of Europe's legislative body commented that Latvia had made a rash decision driven by false information. He described it as an "never-before-seen and deeply concerning step backward for female equality and fundamental freedoms in Europe".

He added that since the transcontinental nation abandoned 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 head of state could possibly send back the legislation for additional review if he holds objections.

President the national leader announced on social media that he would evaluate the decision according to constitutional principles, "taking into account governmental and judicial factors, rather than belief-based perspectives".

Last week, another member of the governing alliance, the Progressives, indicated it would not rule out appealing to the supreme judicial body.

"This vote represents a concerning situation for gender equality not only in our nation but across the continent," commented a rights activist.

• Domestic abuse rates have been rising in multiple European nations
• The European treaty requires particular legal protections for survivors of gender-based violence
• Latvia's vote could influence similar discussions in additional EU countries