Hungary’s parliament has adopted a political declaration, sponsored by the Christian Democrats, on rejecting the Istanbul Convention.
According to MTI, the co-ruling party said parliament should refuse to ratify the convention, citing definitions of gender it contains. The declaration was adopted with 115 votes in favor, 35 against and three abstentions. It calls on the government not to go any further in acceding to the convention and to lobby the European Union to do the same.
The declaration said the Council of Europe document takes an unacceptable approach to defining gender, and parliament should not incorporate this approach into national law. Also the convention’s gender-based rules on asylum are not consistent with Hungary’s legal environment, which seeks to take effective action against illegal migration, the declaration said.
Meanwhile, the valuable parts of the convention when it comes to protecting children and taking action to counter violence against women are properly embedded in Hungary’s legal system, the declaration states.
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