The Czech Republic Senate voted against ratifying the Istanbul Convention, a Council of Europe (COE) agreement devised to curb domestic violence and violence against women. The country’s Minister for European Affairs, Martin Dvořák, expressed his disappointment with the failed vote, which he referred to as an “international disgrace”. He commented on the traditional values of many Czech families and expressed the urgent need to change the stance.
Dvořák went further to suggest that the legislation’s failure to be ratified sends a concerning signal to women and girls in the country. He stated that it indicates a diminished necessity to protect victims of domestic violence. The Istanbul Convention was conceived in Istanbul and signed in 2011, coming into force in 2014. The Czech Republic signed the convention in 2016, but has yet to ratify it.
The Convention’s goal is to safeguard women against all forms of violence, and create preventative measures and eliminate violence against women and domestic violence. According to The European Commission, one in three women in the European Union (EU) has experienced physical and/or sexual violence.
The Convention has faced opposition across Europe, with conservative opponents rallying against its ratification. Polish MEP Patryk Jaki criticised the convention, arguing that enforcing gender ideology could lead to adverse effects, including tragic outcomes for individuals and the erosion of traditional communities that protect people from violence.
The COE, consisting of 46 member states, states that 39 members have ratified the convention, with six members having signed but not yet ratified. One member has not signed at all. Aside from the Czech Republic, Armenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, and the Slovak Republic have not ratified. These reluctant members have been encouraged by the EU to ratify the Convention, following the EU’s majority vote to adopt the convention in 2023. It’s noted that the EU’s accession to the convention does not exempt member states from ratifying it themselves.
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