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Protesters gathered outside the legislative building this week

The Baltic nation's lawmakers have decided to pull out from an international accord created to protect women from abuse, covering family violence, following prolonged and intense debates in the parliament.

Several thousand of demonstrators gathered in Riga this week to oppose the decision. The final authority now rests with Head of State the nation's president, who must decide whether to endorse or veto the proposed law.

Known as the European treaty, the 2011 agreement only became active in the Baltic state last year, mandating governments to develop legal frameworks and assistance programs to eliminate all forms of abuse.

Latvia has become the first EU country to initiate the process of withdrawing from the convention. Turkey pulled out in two years ago, a decision that rights groups described as a significant setback for women's rights.

Political Debate and Resistance

The international agreement was approved by the EU in last year, yet traditionalist groups have contended that its emphasis on gender equality weakens family values and advances what they term "non-traditional gender concepts".

Following a thirteen-hour discussion in the Saeima, lawmakers voted by a margin of 56-32 to withdraw from the treaty, a move proposed by opposition parties but supported by representatives from one of the three coalition parties.

The outcome represents a setback for centre-right Prime Minister the nation's PM, who joined demonstrators outside parliament earlier this week. "We will not surrender, we will continue fighting so that violence does not triumph," she stated to the crowd.

Ideological Divisions and Reactions

One of the primary parties advocating for the exit is a nationalist party, whose head has called on the public to select from what he terms a "natural family" and "non-binary concepts with multiple sexes".

The nation's human rights commissioner Karina Palkova appealed for the treaty not to be made political, while the group Equality Now asserted it was "not a danger to Latvian values, it was an instrument to realize them".

The Thursday's vote has provoked widespread outcry both within the country and abroad.

22,000 people have signed a Latvian petition calling for the convention to be preserved. The gender equality group the rights center has announced a demonstration for the coming week, accusing lawmakers of ignoring the wishes of the Latvian people.

Global Worries and Potential Future Actions

The head of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly stated that the Baltic state had made a hasty choice fueled by false information. He described it as an "never-before-seen and deeply concerning regression for women's rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe".

He noted that since the transcontinental nation abandoned the convention in 2021, cases of gender-based killings and abuse targeting females had increased significantly.

Because the vote did not secure a two-thirds majority, the president could possibly return the legislation for further review if he has concerns.

Head of State the national leader announced on digital platforms that he would evaluate the decision according to constitutional requirements, "taking into account governmental and judicial factors, instead of ideological or political perspectives".

Last week, another member of the ruling coalition, the reformist party, indicated it would not rule out appealing to the supreme judicial body.

"This vote represents a concerning development for gender equality not only in our nation but throughout the continent," stated a human rights advocate.

• Family violence rates have been rising in several EU countries
• The European treaty requires particular safeguards for victims of domestic abuse
• The nation's vote could influence similar debates in other member states