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Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

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

Several thousand of demonstrators assembled in Riga this week to oppose the decision. The final decision now lies with President the nation's president, who must decide whether to approve or veto the legislation.

Known as the Istanbul Convention, the international accord only became active in the Baltic state last twelve months ago, mandating governments to develop legal frameworks and assistance programs to end all forms of violence.

Latvia has become the initial EU country to initiate the procedure of exiting from the treaty. The transcontinental nation withdrew in 2021, a move that human rights organizations characterized as a major regression for women's rights.

Political Controversy and Resistance

The international agreement was approved by the European Union in last year, yet conservative factions have contended that its focus on equal rights weakens traditional families and promotes what they term "gender ideology".

Following a lengthy debate in the Saeima, MPs decided by a margin of 56-32 to exit from the treaty, a move sponsored by political opponents but backed by politicians from one of the three coalition parties.

The outcome represents a defeat for centre-right Prime Minister Evika Silina, who joined protesters outside parliament earlier this week. "We will not surrender, we will continue fighting so that violence will not prevail," she stated to the assembly.

Ideological Disagreements and Reactions

One of the main parties supporting the exit is Latvia First, whose head has urged the public to select from what he terms a "natural family" and "non-binary concepts with multiple sexes".

The nation's human rights commissioner Karina Palkova appealed for the agreement not to be made political, while the group Equality Now asserted it was "not a threat to Latvian values, it served as a tool to achieve them".

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

Twenty-two thousand people have signed a Latvian appeal calling for the treaty to be preserved. The women's rights organization the rights center has called a protest for next Thursday, charging lawmakers of ignoring the wishes of the nation's citizens.

Global Worries and Potential Next Steps

The leader of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly commented that Latvia had made a rash decision fueled by misinformation. He described it as an "never-before-seen and extremely worrying step backward for women's rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe".

He noted that since the transcontinental nation abandoned the treaty in 2021, instances of femicide and violence against women had risen sharply.

Because the decision did not achieve a supermajority majority, the president could possibly send back the legislation for additional consideration if he has objections.

President Rinkevics stated on social media that he would assess the vote according to constitutional principles, "taking into account state and legal factors, instead of belief-based perspectives".

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

"This vote represents a concerning development for gender equality not only in Latvia but throughout Europe," commented a human rights advocate.

• Family violence statistics have been rising in several European countries
• The Istanbul Convention requires particular legal protections for victims of gender-based violence
• Latvia's decision could affect similar discussions in additional member states