31/10/2025 Women free from violence
“I am deeply alarmed by the decision of the Latvian Parliament to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, just over a year after it entered into force in the country. This is an unprecedented and deeply worrying step backwards for women’s rights and human rights in Europe.
By abandoning the first and only international treaty that recognises violence against women as a violation of human rights, Latvia sends a dangerous message — that women’s safety and dignity can be questioned or negotiated.
This decision, taken hastily and fuelled by disinformation, comes despite the voices of over 11,000 Latvian citizens who have signed a petition calling for Latvia to remain within the Convention. The fact that their initiative will not even be discussed before mid-November shows how little space is being given to democratic dialogue when it comes to women’s rights.
The so-called ‘alternative plan’ proposed in parliament cannot replace the Istanbul Convention. The Convention provides a comprehensive framework: prevention, protection, prosecution and policies — and an independent monitoring mechanism to ensure real progress. None of this exists in the vague declarations that are being offered instead. The result will be less protection for women and girls in Latvia.
Latvia now follows Türkiye, which withdrew in 2021. Since then, femicides and violence against women have sharply increased. The message such withdrawals send is devastating: that violence against women is not taken seriously.
At the end of 2025, in the heart of Europe, we cannot accept a regression on the fundamental right of every woman and girl to live free from violence. I urge Latvian authorities and elected representatives to reconsider this decision, to listen to women’s voices, and to stand once again on the side of human dignity, equality, and justice.”