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Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

Latvia's lawmakers have decided to withdraw from an global treaty created to protect females from abuse, covering domestic abuse, following extensive and heated discussions in the parliament.

Several thousand of protesters assembled in the capital this week to voice disagreement with the vote. The ultimate decision now lies with President the nation's president, who must determine whether to endorse or reject the legislation.

Known as the Istanbul Convention, the 2011 agreement only became active in Latvia last year, requiring authorities to establish legal frameworks and support services to eliminate all forms of violence.

Latvia has become the first European Union member to begin the process of exiting from the convention. The transcontinental nation withdrew in two years ago, a move that rights groups described as a major regression for women's rights.

Ideological Debate and Opposition

The treaty was approved by the European Union in last year, yet conservative factions have argued that its focus on equal rights undermines traditional families and promotes what they term "non-traditional gender concepts".

Following a thirteen-hour debate in the Saeima, lawmakers voted by a margin of 56-32 to exit from the convention, a action sponsored by opposition parties but backed 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 abuse does not triumph," she declared to the crowd.

Ideological Divisions and Reactions

One of the primary political groups supporting the exit is a nationalist party, whose leader has called on citizens to select from what he terms a "natural family" and "gender ideology with multiple sexes".

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

The Thursday's vote has sparked widespread outcry both inside Latvia and internationally.

Twenty-two thousand people have endorsed a national appeal demanding the convention to be maintained. The gender equality group the rights center has called a protest for next Thursday, charging lawmakers of ignoring the will of the nation's citizens.

International Worries and Possible Next Steps

The head of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly stated that the Baltic state had made a hasty decision fueled by misinformation. He characterized it as an "never-before-seen and extremely worrying step backward for female equality and fundamental freedoms in Europe".

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

Because the vote did not achieve a two-thirds support, the president could potentially send back the legislation for further review if he holds concerns.

President the national leader stated on social media that he would evaluate the decision according to constitutional requirements, "taking into account state and legal factors, rather than ideological or political perspectives".

Last week, another member of the governing alliance, the Progressives, suggested it would not exclude appealing to the Constitutional Court.

"This decision represents a worrisome situation for women's rights not only in our nation but throughout the continent," stated a human rights activist.

• Family violence rates have been increasing in multiple EU nations
• The European treaty mandates specific legal protections for survivors of gender-based violence
• The nation's decision could influence similar debates in other member states