Latvia's Controversial Decision: MPs Vote to Exit Women's Protection Treaty

Fri Oct 31 2025 20:54:52 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a contentious move, Latvian lawmakers have decided to withdraw from a crucial treaty aimed at safeguarding women from violence, igniting national and international outcry.

Latvian Members of Parliament (MPs) have voted to pull out of the Istanbul Convention, a treaty designed to protect women from violence. This decision has sparked protests and divided opinions in the country, with significant implications for gender equality and human rights. The vote saw 56 MPs in favor and 32 against, marking Latvia as the first EU country to consider leaving the agreement. Prime Minister Evika Silina, who opposed the withdrawal, vows to support women's rights amid growing dissent.

Latvian MPs have voted to withdraw from an international accord aimed at protecting women from violence, including domestic abuse, after a long and intense debate in parliament.

Several thousand people protested against the vote this week in Riga. It is now up to President Edgars Rinkevics to decide whether to approve the law or not.

Known as the Istanbul Convention, the 2011 treaty only came into force in Latvia last year, requiring governments to develop laws and support services to end all violence.

Latvia is the first EU country to move towards pulling out of the treaty. Turkey withdrew in 2021, a move described as a huge setback by the top human rights body, the Council of Europe.

The treaty was ratified by the EU in 2023; however, ultra-conservative groups have argued that the accord's focus on gender equality undermines family values and promotes gender ideology.

After a 13-hour debate in the Saeima, Latvian MPs voted by 56 to 32 to withdraw from the treaty, in a move sponsored by opposition parties but backed by politicians from one of the three coalition partners.

The result is a setback for centre-right Prime Minister Evika Silina, who joined protesters outside parliament earlier this week, stating, We will not give up, we will fight so that violence does not win.

Critics of the withdrawal, including Latvia's ombudswoman, have cautioned against politicizing the treaty. The group Equality Now argues it is not a threat but a necessary tool for realizing women's rights.

The vote has prompted outrage both within Latvia and internationally. A petition against it has gathered 22,000 signatures, and women’s rights groups are organizing protests, arguing that MPs ignored public opinion.

The decision has drawn attention from the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly, labeling it a deeply worrying regression for women's rights in Europe. Rising violence against women following Turkey's exit from the treaty serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences.

As it stands, the vote did not achieve a two-thirds majority, which means President Rinkevics might refer the bill back for further discussions, considering state and legal implications over ideological concerns.