Slovakia rejects women's rights treaty

BELGRADE, Serbia

Slovakia’s parliament decided Tuesday to reject an international treaty on preventing and combating violence against women.

In the 150-seat parliament, 96 of the 113 MPs present voted to reject ratification of the treaty, known as the Istanbul Convention.

Slovakia also rejected the treaty in March 2019.

The ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party, a member of the ruling coalition, proposed the rejection.

The opposition far-right People's Party Our Slovakia also voted against it.

The lawmakers also urged President Zuzana Caputova to inform the Council of Europe that Slovakia will stay out of the treaty.

Turkey was the first country to ratify the Council of Europe convention adopted in 2011 in Istanbul.

As the first international instrument to set comprehensive and legally binding standards to prevent gender-based violence, protect victims and punish perpetrators, it characterizes violence against women as a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination.

Although the European Union and its member states have signed the treaty, some of them -- including Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia and Slovakia -- have yet to ratify the document.