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Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

Latvia's lawmakers have voted to pull out from an international accord designed to safeguard females from violence, including family violence, following extensive and heated discussions in the parliament.

Several thousand of demonstrators gathered in the capital this week to oppose the vote. The final decision now rests with President the nation's president, who must determine whether to endorse or reject the legislation.

Referred to as the Istanbul Convention, the 2011 agreement only became active in the Baltic state last year, mandating authorities to develop laws and assistance programs to end all forms of violence.

Latvia has become the initial EU country to begin the process of withdrawing from the convention. Turkey pulled out in two years ago, a decision that human rights organizations described as a major setback for women's rights.

Political Controversy and Resistance

The international agreement was approved by the EU in 2023, yet conservative groups have contended that its focus on gender equality weakens traditional families and promotes what they term "non-traditional gender concepts".

Following a lengthy debate in the Saeima, MPs voted 56 to 32 to exit from the convention, a move sponsored by opposition parties but backed by politicians from one of the three governing partners.

The result represents a defeat for moderate conservative Prime Minister the nation's PM, who stood with demonstrators outside the legislature earlier this week. "We will not surrender, we will persist in our struggle so that violence will not prevail," she stated to the crowd.

Political Divisions and Reactions

One of the main political groups supporting the withdrawal is Latvia First, whose head has urged the public to choose between what he terms a "natural family" and "non-binary concepts with various gender identities".

Latvia's ombudswoman the rights official appealed for the treaty not to be politicized, while the group Equality Now stated it was "not a threat to Latvian values, it was an instrument to achieve them".

The recent decision has sparked broad protest both inside the country and internationally.

22,000 people have endorsed a Latvian appeal calling for the convention to be preserved. The gender equality group Centrs Marta has announced a demonstration for next Thursday, charging MPs of ignoring the wishes of the Latvian people.

Global Worries and Possible Next Steps

The leader of the European organization's parliamentary assembly stated that Latvia had made a rash choice fueled by false information. He characterized it as an "never-before-seen and extremely worrying regression for women's rights and human rights in Europe".

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

Because the vote did not achieve a supermajority majority, the head of state could potentially send back the legislation for further consideration if he has concerns.

Head of State the national leader announced on social media that he would assess the vote according to constitutional principles, "taking into account state and legal factors, rather than ideological or political viewpoints".

Recently, another member of the governing alliance, the reformist party, indicated it would not exclude appealing to the supreme judicial body.

"This decision represents a worrisome development for women's rights not only in Latvia but across Europe," commented a rights advocate.

• Domestic abuse statistics have been rising in several European countries
• The European treaty requires particular legal protections for survivors of domestic abuse
• The nation's decision could affect comparable debates in other member states