Education and Science Ministry does not promote 'gender ideology' - Melbarde

RIGA - Contrary to Welfare Minister Reinis Uzulnieks' (Greens/Farmers) allegations, the Education and Science Ministry does not promote a "gender ideology", Education and Science Minister Dace Melbarde (New Unity) said at a government meeting on Tuesday.

Ministers on Tuesday heard Uzulnieks' report on what the Welfare Ministry has been doing to combat domestic violence in line with the Istanbul Convention. The Ministries of Justice and Education and Science also presented reports on fighting violence against women and children.

Melbarde noted that Uzulnieks had claimed on Latvian Television that the Education and Science Ministry is one of those whose actions constitute a breach of the declaration that was attached to the Istanbul Convention when the Saeima ratified the document. Melbarde sent the welfare minister a letter demanding a more detailed clarification regarding the allegations that the Education and Science Ministry has been promoting a "gender ideology".

The minister called for a double-check of what is written in the education standards and curriculum, and to "put facts on the table". If these facts are two studies - basic and applied - then Melbarde called for awareness of the role of basic research. They are meant to create new knowledge, to study social phenomena, society, its behavior and so on. "So research is not inherently about promoting a particular ideology," Melbarde stressed. If, for example, the Holocaust or Stalinism is being studied, it does not mean that they are being promoted, she said.

The minister said that conducting research cannot be a basis for an argument that the ministry is promoting a "gender ideology".

As reported, at the end of September Uzulnieks said on Latvian Television that Latvia should withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, claiming that this is a divisive symbol.

Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) had instructed Welfare Minister Reinis Uzulnieks of the Union of Greens and Farmers to report on what has been done to implement the Istanbul Convention and reduce violence against women and children, as the Welfare Ministry was the promoter and coordinator of the convention's implementation.

As reported, thanks to the support of the ruling coalition partner, the Union of Greens and Farmers, the Saeima at the end of September handed over to the foreign affairs committee the opposition MPs' proposal for Latvia's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention. The Greens/Farmers' vote on the Istanbul Convention has shaken the stability of the government coalition, with the ruling Unity and Progressives regarding it as a breach of the coalition agreement.

Altogether 55 MPs voted in favor of sending the bill to the committee, while 33 voted against. Coalition MPs from New Unity and Progressives voted against the bill, while MPs from Greens/Farmers voted in favor.

The New Unity has 25 MPs, the Greens/Farmers faction has 16, and the Progressives have eight. The United List faction has 13 MPs, the NA - 12, Latvia First and Stability - eight each. There are also ten non-partisan MPs at the parliament.

In Latvia, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence entered into force on May 1 last year. It is an international treaty that requires its Member States to develop coherent policies to better protect women from all forms of violence, as well as women and men from domestic violence. These include providing comprehensive assistance and protection for victims, crisis centers, a 24-hour crisis hotline, specialized support centers for victims of sexual violence, and protection and support for child witnesses of violence.