🔗 Share this article

Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

Latvia's parliament members have voted to pull out from an international accord designed to protect women from abuse, including domestic abuse, following extensive and intense discussions in the parliament.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Riga this week to oppose the decision. The ultimate decision now lies with Head of State Edgars Rinkevics, who must determine whether to approve or veto the proposed law.

Referred to as the Istanbul Convention, the international accord only took effect in Latvia last twelve months ago, mandating authorities to establish laws and assistance programs to end all types of abuse.

Latvia has become the first European Union member to initiate the process of exiting from the treaty. The transcontinental nation withdrew in 2021, a move that human rights organizations described as a significant setback for women's rights.

Political Controversy and Opposition

The treaty was approved by the EU in 2023, yet traditionalist factions have contended that its emphasis on equal rights undermines traditional families and advances 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 political opponents but backed by representatives from one of the three coalition parties.

The result represents a setback for moderate conservative government leader Evika Silina, who joined demonstrators outside the legislature earlier this week. "We will not surrender, we will persist in our struggle so that violence will not prevail," she declared to the assembly.

Ideological Divisions and Reactions

One of the primary parties supporting the withdrawal is a nationalist party, whose head has called on the public to select from what he terms a "natural family" and "gender ideology with multiple sexes".

Latvia's ombudswoman the rights official appealed for the agreement not to be made political, while the organization Equality Now asserted it was "not a threat to national principles, it served as a tool to realize them".

The recent decision has sparked widespread protest both inside the country and abroad.

22,000 individuals have signed a Latvian petition calling for the convention to be preserved. The women's rights organization Centrs Marta has called a protest for next Thursday, charging MPs of disregarding the will of the nation's citizens.

Global Concerns and Potential Next Steps

The leader of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly commented that the Baltic state had made a rash choice driven by misinformation. He characterized it as an "never-before-seen and extremely worrying step backward for female equality and human rights in Europe".

He added that since Turkey left the convention in 2021, cases of femicide and abuse targeting females had increased significantly.

Because the decision did not secure a two-thirds majority, the president could potentially return the legislation for further consideration if he has objections.

President Rinkevics stated on digital platforms that he would evaluate the vote according to legal requirements, "taking into account governmental and judicial factors, instead of ideological or political perspectives".

Last week, another component of the ruling coalition, the Progressives, suggested it would not rule out appealing to the Constitutional Court.

"This decision represents a concerning development for women's rights not only in Latvia but throughout Europe," stated a human rights advocate.

• Domestic abuse statistics have been increasing in multiple European countries
• The Istanbul Convention mandates particular legal protections for survivors of domestic abuse
• Latvia's decision could affect comparable discussions in other EU countries