We are currently looking for a solution to approve the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention, through the government, the media were told by Latvian Minister of Welfare Evika Siliņa.
She said – if the ministry fails, the legislator has the right to decide on their own.
New Unity deputy Andrejs Judins said the party’s position on this has not changed – the document needs to be adopted.
He stressed that the Istanbul Convention demonstrates the attitude towards violence, that it is unacceptable and that we are prepared to act.
“I have no doubt this document could be approved. It needs to be adopted, but it is also important for us to consider our own regulations, our legislative acts,” said Judins.
On Friday, the 14th of July, the Latvian government postponed the viewing of the Istanbul Convention’s approval in Latvia, as confirmed by Ilze Čikule, advisor to the Minister of Welfare.
The topic was taken off the agenda because one of the coalition parties – Combined List – wanted to introduce additions to the document. This is why the viewing of this topic was postponed.
The party’s Saeima faction leader Edgars Tavars told the media that it is necessary to improve the legislative draft to “put to rest concerns and avoid interpretations about what is gender, social gender and social gender-related topics”.
He said his party has objections to several sections of the document that do not apply directly to the convention’s stated goals.
The party believes the document from the Council of Europe needs to be mainly focused only on achieving the goals stated therein – prevention and combating of violence against women and domestic violence.
According to the legislative draft submitted by the Ministry of Welfare, the convention is planned to be approved in Latvia with a reservation that its implementation in the country “in accordance with values, principles and norms contained in the Constitution, especially with regard to the protection of human rights, equality between women and men and marriage, protection and support of the rights of the family, parents and children”.
It is also suggest to add to the convention a two-sentence declaration in which it is stressed that “Latvia considers that the aim of the Convention is the protection of women against all forms of violence, as well as the prevention, punishment and eradication of violence against women and domestic violence”.
Resolution of family-related conflicts in Latvia is governed by Section 110 of the Constitution, which mentions that “the state shall protect and support marriage – a union between a man and a woman, the family, the rights of parents and rights of the child”.
This redaction of the Constitution was written because some politicians in Latvia were trying to prevent the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Latvia.
The Ministry of Welfare explains that the declaration of the government led by Krišjānis Kariņš does provide for the adoption of the Istanbul Convention. The convention requires member states to develop a coherent policy on prevention of violence against women and domestic violence and to implement inter-institutional cooperation between public authorities and non-governmental organisations, civil society and the media.
The Convention also calls for the involvement of all competent national authorities and services so that violence against women and domestic violence can be addressed in a coordinated manner through the development of rules governing cooperation, the ministry reminds.
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