Maletić: The Message of the Istanbul Convention is Clear – Gender is Chosen and Not Aligned with Sex

Deputy Chair of the HDZ and Member of the European Parliament Ivana Maletić stated on Saturday that the ratification of the Istanbul Convention was not part of the HDZ Program nor an electoral promise, as emphasized in some media.

– As the head of the working group for the development of the HDZ electoral program in 2016, I feel compelled to explain that the ratification of the Istanbul Convention is not part of the Program nor was it an electoral promise as highlighted in some media, Maletić announced on her Facebook profile.

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She notes that on page 94 of the HDZ Program there is a paragraph that individuals refer to, which states:

“Croatian society is faced with the problem of domestic violence. We will ensure a greater number of shelters for women and children victims of domestic violence and provide them with protection and appropriate legal and financial assistance. We consider any form of physical, psychological, or sexual violence absolutely unacceptable and will significantly improve the system of prevention and protection from all forms of violence through institutions and support for civil society organizations whose activities are focused on this area. We will fully meet our obligations under the Istanbul Convention, which came into force for the Republic of Croatia in 2014. The Convention includes areas of prevention, protection from persecution, as well as fundamental measures for monitoring the implementation of regulations.”

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Maletić emphasizes that the ratification of the Istanbul Convention was not mentioned even once precisely because the working group for the development of the Program believed that the Convention in the part of measures for the protection of women from violence must be fully implemented and that additional protective mechanisms should be introduced.

– However, due to the controversial gender ideology introduced by the Convention, the further step, which is ratification, was not mentioned, emphasizes Maletić.

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She explains that at that time, as well as now, along with the definition of gender in Article 3b., point 53 of the Explanatory Report was also controversial, which states:

“Certain groups of individuals may experience discrimination based on gender identity, which simply means that the gender with which they identify does not align with the sex assigned to them at birth. This includes groups of people such as transgender or transsexual individuals, transvestites, and other groups of people who do not fit what society has determined belongs to the categories ‘male’ or ‘female’…”.

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Maletić assesses that from that point of the Explanatory Report it is clear that the Convention introduces the definition of gender as a universal value and sends the message that gender is chosen and not aligned with sex.

– It is clear that the definition of gender in the Convention introduces individuals, who (and absolutely no one disputes this) need to be protected from violence and develop an atmosphere of acceptance and understanding in society, as a universal value and sends the message to everyone that gender is chosen and not aligned with sex. Policies should be determined by this – Article 6 of the Convention and educational programs – Article 14 of the Convention, emphasizes Maletić.