The Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) believes that the declaration added by the political force to the Istanbul Convention a few years ago has been violated, according to a statement released to the media.
The party calls on Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (JV) to assess why the “Declaration to the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence” is not being implemented and why certain ministries, such as the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Science (MES), are promoting a different understanding of gender, strengthening gender ideology in Latvia, and using the convention for purposes unrelated to reducing violence against women and domestic violence.
ZZS argues that the declaration attached to the convention and approved by the Saeima has been violated, as it clearly states that no other understanding of gender is permissible except male and female.
The party stresses that the Ministry of Welfare, regardless of Latvia’s accession to the Istanbul Convention, has already been working on domestic violence reduction measures and support for victims.
According to ZZS,
the Prime Minister should evaluate the work of all ministries involved in combating domestic violence.
For example, the Ministry of the Interior should explain how the police apply the separation of perpetrators as set out in regulations; the Ministry of Health has not created specialized support centers for victims of sexual violence; MES is delaying full-scale teacher training in recognizing and preventing violence, and the implementation of school programs to reduce violence is being continuously postponed.
As reported, Siliņa on Monday expects an explanation from coalition partner ZZS and its representative, Minister of Welfare Reinis Uzulnieks, regarding last week’s vote in the Saeima on withdrawing from the so-called Istanbul Convention.
The Prime Minister, who spent several days last week on a visit to Germany, declared after Thursday’s parliamentary vote that ZZS’s stance constitutes a breach of the coalition agreement.
On Saturday, Siliņa told journalists that
the ZZS vote in the Saeima was essentially an expression of their evaluation of Minister Uzulnieks’s work.
She explained that it is specifically the Ministry of Welfare that has been the lead institution for the Istanbul Convention, coordinating and implementing the national plan for preventing violence against women and children.
After hearing ZZS, a meeting with other coalition partners is also planned to discuss the situation. The Prime Minister stated that ZZS’s explanation must first be heard before any decisions can be made. A cooperation meeting of the governing parties is scheduled for 3 p.m.
As previously reported, with the support of ZZS, which is part of the ruling coalition, the Saeima on September 25 referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee an opposition proposal to denounce the so-called Istanbul Convention, which would mean Latvia’s withdrawal from it. Fifty-five deputies voted in favor of referring the bill to committee, while 33 voted against. Coalition MPs from “New Unity” and “The Progressives” voted against, while ZZS deputies supported the motion.
It has also been reported that a week earlier, MPs referred to committees several draft laws prepared by the opposition party “Latvia First” (LPV), aimed at restricting minors from participating in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) events and imposing penalties related to gender reassignment for minors. These LPV-initiated bills also advanced in parliament thanks to the support of ZZS, which voted alongside the opposition, while MPs from JV and “The Progressives” voted against them.
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