The Czech government has officially halted the ratification process for the Istanbul Convention

The Czech government has decided to officially end the ratification process for the Istanbul Convention by revoking a resolution passed by the previous cabinet in June 2023. The decision to reject the document came in the wake of a broad public and political debate, during which the document was criticized for its ideological content. This was reported by the Czech news outlet iROZHLAS.

The government’s decision was a logical outcome of the Czech Senate’s stance; on January 24, 2024, the Senate failed to support the convention’s ratification due to a lack of the necessary number of votes. The main point of contention was the use of the term “gender” in the text of the document instead of biological sex. Opponents of ratification, including Senator Zdeněk Hrab, characterized the convention as an “ideological document,” emphasizing that Article 12, which obligates states to eliminate “stereotypical roles,” promotes the theory of gender as a social construct.

As the government’s review of the convention nears completion, alternative ways to protect citizens’ rights are being discussed in the Czech Republic. In particular, mention is made of the draft Convention on the Rights of the Family, developed by the Ordo Iuris Institute, which emphasizes the protection of traditional marriage and the institution of the family without resorting to controversial gender interpretations. The Istanbul Convention, adopted by the Council of Europe in 2011, remains a subject of heated debate in many European countries precisely because of concerns regarding the impact of its wording on traditional social institutions.