Violence against women in Latvia is shameful, said Minister of Justice Inese Lībiņa-Egnere in an interview to LTV programme Rīta panorāma on Tuesday, the 2nd of May.
In the context of the recent murder of a woman in Jēkabpils, the minister said it is necessary to move away from the ideologisation of crimes against women and domestic violence. She stressed that stigmatising and ideologisation are the reasons why such crimes are not reported.
“Statistical information that shows how Latvia has a lower level of violence than countries that have ratified the Istanbul Convention is not because people are better, it is much rather because these crimes are not reported,” said Lībiņa-Egnere, adding that in this particular case the woman had requested protection, but the crime was not investigated and prevented in the end.
“For the state this is very shameful. The same applies to how violence against women in Latvia in the 21st century is not considered a crime worth investigating. Instead people want to look at the kind of relationship the two had,” said the politician.
According to her, this crime proves that
“when it comes to attitude, the system is rotten”.
Legislatively speaking, it is possible to find improvements, but the problem is the attitude – starting with policy and stigmatisation of violence against women and domestic violence.
Lībiņa-Egnere has asked coalition partners who have not even read the text of the Istanbul Convention but still spread all kinds of myths to finally read it, as well as read the verdict of the Constitutional Court, which concluded that the convention does not contain anything that would put at risk or affect any values listed in the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia.
She hopes politicians have used some time this weekend to read the document and understand how it came to be. The minister said it is important to keep in mind – if violence takes place in the privacy of a family, it is not just an internal problem for that family. The state needs to protect these people, which is why there is the Istanbul Convention and the Criminal Law.
Lībiņa-Egnere also agrees that for a long time Russia has spread misleading information about the Istanbul Convention.
Domestic violence in this country is not even violence, said Latvia’s Minister of Justice.
On the 16th of April a 1983-born woman was stabbed to death in front of her child and mother in Jēkabpils.
The murder was committed by the woman’s ex-husband Leons Rusiņš. For months before the murder he sent frequent threats and persecuted her. His behaviour was reported to the police, but no protection was provided.
The chief of State Police has ordered an internal investigation “to make sure police officers acted in accordance to the law, actively and professionally”. Ruks invites looking at this incident in a broader sense, adding that it would be necessary to add amendments to the law and provide more severe consequences for people who refuse to comply with court-mandated duties.
More on this topic: Istanbul Convention has no support in Latvia’s society, says Saeima speaker