🔗 Share this article

Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

The Baltic nation's parliament members have decided to withdraw from an international accord created to protect women from abuse, covering family violence, following prolonged and heated debates in the parliament.

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

Referred to as the European treaty, the international accord only took effect in Latvia last twelve months ago, requiring governments to develop laws and assistance programs to end all types of violence.

Latvia has become the first European Union member to begin the process of exiting from the treaty. Turkey withdrew in two years ago, a move that human rights organizations described as a significant regression for gender equality.

Ideological Controversy and Resistance

The international agreement was approved by the EU in 2023, yet conservative factions have contended that its emphasis on gender equality undermines family values and promotes what they term "non-traditional gender concepts".

Following a lengthy discussion in the Latvian parliament, MPs decided by a margin of 56-32 to exit from the convention, a action sponsored by opposition parties but backed by representatives from one of the three governing partners.

The result represents a defeat for centre-right government leader Evika Silina, who joined demonstrators outside parliament earlier this week. "We refuse to give up, we will continue fighting so that abuse will not prevail," she declared to the assembly.

Political Divisions and Responses

One of the main political groups supporting the exit is a nationalist party, whose head has called on the public to select from what he terms a "traditional family unit" and "gender ideology with multiple sexes".

Latvia's human rights commissioner Karina Palkova appealed for the treaty not to be politicized, while the group Equality Now asserted it was "not a danger to Latvian values, it was an instrument to realize them".

The recent vote has sparked widespread outcry both within Latvia and internationally.

Twenty-two thousand individuals have endorsed a Latvian appeal calling for the treaty to be maintained. The women's rights organization Centrs Marta has called a demonstration for the coming week, accusing lawmakers of disregarding the will of the Latvian people.

International Worries and Possible Future Actions

The head of the European organization's parliamentary assembly commented that Latvia had made a hasty choice fueled by false information. He characterized it as an "unprecedented and extremely worrying regression for women's rights and human rights in Europe".

He noted that since Turkey left the convention four years ago, cases of femicide and abuse targeting females had increased significantly.

Because the decision did not secure a two-thirds majority, the president could possibly send back the bill for additional consideration if he holds objections.

President Rinkevics announced on digital platforms that he would assess the vote according to constitutional requirements, "considering governmental and judicial factors, instead of ideological or political perspectives".

Last week, another member of the governing alliance, the Progressives, indicated it would not rule out appealing to the Constitutional Court.

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

• Domestic abuse statistics have been increasing in multiple European nations
• The Istanbul Convention mandates specific legal protections for victims of domestic abuse
• The nation's decision could influence comparable debates in additional EU countries