Back Latvia urged to ensure gender equality and foster an inclusive society

Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muižnieks releases report on his visit to the country in September
Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis with the Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks (left) ©Latvia State Chancellery

Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis with the Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks (left) ©Latvia State Chancellery

 “Latvia has achieved considerable progress in adopting legislation and policies which comply with human rights standards, but the authorities must engage in more sustained efforts to bridge the remaining gaps, in particular those which still hinder gender equality and more effective protection of the human rights of women, children and LGBTI people”, said today Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while releasing a report on Latvia based on the findings of his visit to the country carried out in September.

The Commissioner encourages the Latvian authorities to strengthen their efforts to render gender equality effective in reality. “There is a need for long-term strategies aimed at applying gender equality across all sectors and at increasing women’s participation in public and political life. More efforts are also necessary to raise awareness among civil servants and society as a whole about women’s rights and gender equality”.

Violence against women and domestic violence remain a serious problem in Latvia. Although regulations on temporary protection and rehabilitation services for the victims of violence were adopted, there is still a need to ensure that law enforcement, prosecutorial and judicial authorities have the requisite capacity to investigate, prosecute and punish all instances of violence against women. The authorities should also improve the assistance provided to victims of violence, including by establishing a sufficient number of adequately-resourced specialised shelters. (more...)

Commissioner for Human Rights Strasbourg 13 December 2016
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