“I think that the Istanbul Convention should not be approved at this time, because it has many consequences,” the states told LRT television on Friday.
“I think it would basically start to change our education, the education system, and discrimination against women would not be the main topic there,” he said.
On Thursday, the Constitutional Court (CT) announced that the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence does not contradict the Constitution.
Opponents of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention claim that after Lithuania ratifies this document, non-stereotypical gender roles and the choice of gender identity should be taught in schools.
He also stated that states can choose the most appropriate and acceptable way and form for values such as equality between women and men, non-stereotypical roles based on the social aspect of gender, mutual respect, non-violent conflict resolution, the right to personal integrity, fostering education and training in institutions.
“Member states are not obliged to introduce specific training programs that are identical for all states participating in the convention, which would be incompatible with the state’s culture and environment,” the CT conclusion says.
It also asserts that the provisions of the Istanbul Convention do not oblige the Lithuanian state to transfer concepts incompatible with the Lithuanian language into the national legal system.
“The convention also does not imply the need to establish new rules for the state language, such as ‘genderless language.’ The convention describes a person only as “man” and “woman” and does not use any other form,” the court emphasized.
On his part, G. Nausėda emphasized on Friday that the decision of the CT does not oblige the Seimas to ratify the Istanbul Convention.
“Simply, the Seimas must find courage, because if the Seimas made a negative decision and did not approve the Istanbul Convention, it would not be an unconstitutional decision. The Seimas can either approve or disapprove. The conclusion of the Constitutional Court does not mean that the Istanbul Convention must be approved by the Seimas”, said the president.
The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence was adopted in 2011, Lithuania signed it on June 7, 2013.
Former President Dalia Grybauskaitė submitted the Istanbul Convention to the Seimas of Lithuania for ratification, but the process got stuck due to disagreements between politicians on some provisions of the document.
Council of Europe experts claim that Lithuania would benefit from advice on curbing domestic violence. The Catholic Church and some politicians say that because of the convention, Lithuania may have to change the concept of gender and introduce unacceptable provisions on homosexuality.
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2024-04-11 21:49:10