🔗 Share this article

Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

The Baltic nation's parliament members have decided to withdraw from an global treaty created to protect females from abuse, including family violence, following extensive and heated discussions in the parliament.

Several thousand of protesters gathered in Riga this week to oppose the vote. The final authority now lies with Head of State Edgars Rinkevics, who must determine whether to approve or reject the proposed law.

Referred to as the European treaty, the 2011 agreement only took effect in the Baltic state last year, requiring authorities to develop laws and support services to eliminate all types of abuse.

Latvia has become the first European Union member to begin the process of withdrawing from the convention. Turkey withdrew in two years ago, a move that rights groups characterized as a major regression for gender equality.

Ideological Debate and Resistance

The treaty was ratified by the EU in 2023, yet conservative factions have argued that its emphasis on gender equality undermines traditional families and promotes what they term "gender ideology".

Following a thirteen-hour discussion in the Saeima, MPs voted 56 to 32 to withdraw from the treaty, a move proposed by political opponents but supported by representatives from one of the three coalition parties.

The result represents a defeat for moderate conservative Prime Minister Evika Silina, who stood with protesters outside the legislature earlier this week. "We refuse to give up, we will persist in our struggle so that violence will not prevail," she declared to the crowd.

Political Disagreements and Reactions

One of the main parties advocating for the exit is Latvia First, whose head has urged the public to select from what he terms a "natural family" and "gender ideology with multiple sexes".

Latvia's human rights commissioner the rights official appealed for the agreement not to be politicized, while the group the rights organization stated it was "not a danger to Latvian values, it served as a tool to realize them".

The recent vote has sparked broad protest both within the country and abroad.

Twenty-two thousand individuals have signed a national petition calling for the treaty to be preserved. The gender equality group Centrs Marta has announced a demonstration for the coming week, accusing MPs of ignoring the will of the nation's citizens.

International Worries and Potential Next Steps

The leader of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly stated that the Baltic state had made a rash choice driven by false information. He described it as an "never-before-seen and extremely worrying regression for women's rights and fundamental freedoms in the continent".

He noted that since Turkey abandoned the treaty in 2021, cases of gender-based killings and violence against women had risen sharply.

Because the decision did not achieve a two-thirds majority, the head of state could potentially send back the legislation for additional review if he has concerns.

President the national leader stated on social media that he would assess the decision according to constitutional requirements, "considering state and legal considerations, rather than belief-based viewpoints".

Recently, another component of the ruling coalition, the reformist party, indicated it would not rule out appealing to the supreme judicial body.

"This vote represents a worrisome development for women's rights not only in our nation but across Europe," commented a human rights advocate.

• Family violence statistics have been increasing in several European nations
• The Istanbul Convention mandates particular legal protections for survivors of domestic abuse
• The nation's vote could affect similar discussions in other member states