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Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

Latvia's parliament members have voted to pull out from an global treaty designed to safeguard women from abuse, including domestic abuse, following extensive and heated discussions in the parliament.

Several thousand of demonstrators gathered in the capital this past week to oppose the vote. The ultimate authority now rests with President the nation's president, who must decide whether to endorse or veto the legislation.

Referred to as the European treaty, the 2011 agreement only became active in the Baltic state last year, mandating governments to develop legal frameworks and support services to end all forms of violence.

Latvia has become the first EU country to begin the process of withdrawing from the treaty. Turkey pulled out in 2021, a move that human rights organizations characterized as a significant setback for women's rights.

Ideological Debate and Opposition

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

Following a lengthy discussion in the Saeima, MPs voted 56 to 32 to withdraw from the convention, a move proposed by political opponents but supported by politicians from one of the three coalition parties.

The outcome represents a setback for moderate conservative Prime Minister the nation's PM, who joined protesters outside parliament earlier this seven-day period. "We will not surrender, we will continue fighting so that abuse will not prevail," she stated to the assembly.

Ideological Divisions and Responses

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

The nation's ombudswoman the rights official urged the treaty not to be made political, while the group the rights organization asserted it was "not a danger to Latvian values, it served as a tool to realize them".

The recent decision has provoked broad protest both within Latvia and abroad.

Twenty-two thousand people have signed a national petition demanding the convention to be maintained. The women's rights organization Centrs Marta has announced a demonstration for next Thursday, accusing lawmakers of disregarding the will of the Latvian people.

Global Concerns and Potential Next Steps

The head of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly commented that Latvia had made a hasty decision driven by misinformation. He characterized it as an "never-before-seen and extremely worrying step backward for women's rights and human rights in Europe".

He added that since Turkey left the treaty in 2021, cases of femicide and violence against women had risen sharply.

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

President Rinkevics announced on digital platforms that he would assess the decision according to legal principles, "considering state and legal considerations, instead of ideological or political perspectives".

Recently, another component of the governing alliance, the Progressives, suggested it would not exclude petitioning to the Constitutional Court.

"This decision represents a worrisome situation for gender equality not only in Latvia but across the continent," commented a rights activist.

• Family violence rates have been increasing in multiple EU countries
• The European treaty requires specific safeguards for victims of domestic abuse
• Latvia's vote could affect comparable debates in other member states